


He who fights for truth, honor and glory

by septnanis



Category: Kingdom Hearts (Video Games)
Genre: Battling, Chivalry, Chocobo Races, Chocobos, Eventual Romance, F/M, Festivals, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, Getting Together, Humor, Jousting, M/M, Matchmaking, Miscommunication, Post-Canon, Post-Kingdom Hearts III, Romance, Tournaments, tourney
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-17
Updated: 2020-10-29
Packaged: 2021-03-05 02:34:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 24,605
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25336945
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/septnanis/pseuds/septnanis
Summary: Radiant Garden is celebrating its 1000th anniversary and the Guardians of Light get together to celebrate! At this fair there is dancing, markets, games and most importantly a tourney.Those who once took refuge in Sora's heart, take it upon themselves to use the tourney as an opportunity to get Sora to really understand what love is.Riku just happens to be the person they think should show that to him.
Relationships: Riku/Sora (Kingdom Hearts)
Comments: 40
Kudos: 99





	1. Prologue

**A very long time ago, there were three knights.**

**All three were blessed with what we now know as the chivalric virtues: courage, mercy, generosity, faith, nobility and hope. They came from lands far away from one another, with seas and mountains and deserts between them.**

**A king from a land known as bountiful and beautiful, sent out a message to all corners of the lands and the words also reached these three knights.**

**_Hark! Hear my plight,_ **

**_For the way of things in my kingdom are no longer right_ **

**_Though blessed I am with a kingdom most fair_ **

**_An evil wind come from afar blows through the air_ **

**_Said evil has taken away that which I hold most dear_ **

**_And has left me with nothing but despair and fear_ **

**_My daughter, golden haired and heart so fair_ **

**_Was taken by an evil overlord of fire and air_ **

**_If you are imbued with the virtues of a knight_ **

**_I pray, help this poor king to return his daughter to the light_ **

**_Your reward shall be plenty, generous and,_ **

**_Wealth beyond measure and my fair daughter’s hand_ **

**_Take up your sword, and help finish this story_ **

**_Oh, he who fights for truth, honor and glory_ **

**The three knights heard the message from the king and responded as only knights with pure hearts could. They took up their arms and rushed to the kingdom in need.**

——

“I think I forgot those two books Ienzo asked for,” Aqua said.

Terra puts a hand on her wrist to stop her rushed search to see if said books were in her bag.

“They’re in my bag,” Terra said. “You put them on the bed and told me to put them in my bag because yours was too heavy.”

Aqua sighed and bumped him with her elbow. “Thank you,” she said, smiling softly. “This is why I never travel for anything besides missions, I always feel like I’m forgetting something. Luckily I’ve got you to remind me.”

The sunlight glittered against the mosaic stones of the streets of Radiant Garden. Ever since its transformation to its original glory, it seemed to shine even more than when they first saw it. A world full of people who had faced hardship but now lived life with hope and joy. But in the early summer, with the skies so blue and the flowers in bloom and the sun shining, it sparkled like a jewel.

So bright in fact, that Terra had to put a hand over top his eyes to see.

“Where did Ven get to?” Terra asked and Aqua shrugged.

“I think he went to… oh, there he is!” Aqua said. “Ven!”

Their friend stood at a distance, reading what appeared to be a poster on a wall. People milled about him, carrying crates and ladders and other building materials. “I wonder what’s caught his eye,” Terra wondered.

Aqua hoisted her bag up and grinned. “Let’s find out. Maybe it’s something about all this,” She said and gestured at all the people who appeared to be setting something up. “Some kind of event, I guess…”

They walked the length of the square to join Ventus.

“Hey, Ven,” Terra said. “Something interesting?”

Ventus turned and exuded immediate excited energy, “Terra! Aqua! Look!” He pointed at the poster.

It was a large, elaborately designed poster. Terra and Aqua leaned in to read it:

_RADIANT GARDEN MILLENNIAL FAIR_

_Our most beloved and bountiful world is celebrating its 1000th birthday!_

_Come one and all, young and old to the once in a lifetime Millennial Fair!_

_Fun games, delicious food, wonderful markets to be enjoyed by all._

_Seven days of excitement and celebration!_

_And in honor of our home, a tradition of old shall be reinvoked,_

_A Tourney!_

_Sign up and fight like a knight of the past, imbued with the chivalric virtues_

_Fight for truth, honor and glory and win a fantastic prize of 1000 munny, a free tour of the Radiant Garden Castle and a dance with a golden haired maiden!_

_On the seventh day, a celebration in the square with singing and dancing_

_(all participants of the Tourney should be aware that a basic knowledge of combat is required - the committee of the Radiant Garden Millennial Fair does not take responsibility for any bumps, bruises or loss of limbs that may occur during - good luck!)_

“A… tourney?” Aqua said. “Like in those old adventure books Master Eraqus liked to read to us.”

It hadn’t been long but they had made their peace with their former masters. They all dealt with it in their own ways, Aqua threw herself into rebuilding their home world, Terra was more quiet en contemplative and Ventus made sure to make every waking minute count.

“I guess this is why they invited all three of us!” Ventus said. Aqua and Terra looked at each other.

“I guess so,” Terra replied. “Gonna sign up, Ven?”

Instead of laughing like they both thought he would, Ventus turned to them with a serious look on his face. “But I’m not a knight,” he said. He didn’t look offended by Terra’s question, but perplexed that Terra would ask such a thing.

None of them spoke for a moment, the noises of the bustling people around them keeping the silence from being awkward. It was something both Aqua and Terra had noticed in Ventus, how he would mention dreams or thoughts he had that sounded like something out of a novel. It was usually Ventus who laughed it off.

“Well, now’s your chance,” Aqua said, in order to break the silence. “And a thousand munny, too!”

Ventus waved her off. “Real knights don’t fight for munny,” he said. “They fight for truth…”

“Honor and glory!” Terra and Aqua finished for him. There was a beat before all three of them burst into laughter.

“Come on, let’s head over to the castle,” Aqua said. “These books weigh a ton.”

They walked ahead of Ventus, Terra making a futile attempt at getting Aqua to let him carry her bag for her. He stared at the poster with his face twisted in an expression of contemplation until his friends called his name to get him to follow.

——

The walk to the castle made it even more apparent that a large event was going to take place in Radiant Garden. They passed by several squares with market stalls and large signs, rows of tables for people to sit at and even a square with a large tent where men and women were setting up a stage.

“There you are!” A voice rang out from the entryway of the castle. When they were close enough they spotted Kairi, who was standing on her tiptoes and waving at them.

Her red hair was in a ponytail and she was wearing what seemed to be sturdy overalls. She kept her hands behind her back until they reached the stairway and then rushed down to greet them. Once they set their bags down, Kairi hugged each one of them warmly.

“I’m so glad you guys could come,” she said. “I know how busy you all are.”

“Thank you for inviting us,” Aqua replied. “Seems to be quite the big event.”

Kairi put her hands on her hips and grinned. “Yup! A whole week of celebrating,” she said. “Namine convinced me to help out.”

Ventus cocked his head in confusion. “You didn’t want to?”

“Oh, sure! But, between studying at the Academy and my internship with Even and Ienzo and Keyblade training, I kinda lose track of time,” Kairi said, a little sheepishly. “But Namine’s on the Millennial Fair committee and I decided to show a little solidarity.”

Terra scooped up both his and Aqua’s bags, ignoring her protests. “Well, looks like it’s really coming along,” he said.

Kairi gestured at them to follow her. “It sure is! It’s a good thing it’s seven days too, there’s so much to do,” she said. “Come on, I’ll show you to your rooms.”

The castle in Radiant Garden wasn’t quite as grand as the Land of Departure but there were more people in it. From people working on the upkeep to serious looking men and women in white coats, walking to and fro busily.

“Ansem opened the castle up for the Academy, so they could do part of their research here,” Kairi explained. “That one’s on me, I guess, I kinda insisted.” If she meant to sound guilty at all about strong arming Ansem the Wise into giving up space in the castle for others, she wasn’t doing a very good job.

Aqua smiled at her. “You look so well, Kairi,” she said. “You really seem to have found your place.”

Kairi grinned. “Thanks!” she replied. “I didn’t even know I was capable of all this. Last week we started doing research on the difference between light and dark portals and with my POH-powers, we can replicate the situation in order to research it better.”

“POH-powers?” Ventus asked.

Kairi stopped at an ornate door and rummaged around in her pocket, pulling out a silver key. “My Princess of Heart powers, sorry, I’m so used to using the shortened versions of everything… otherwise we’d spend all day talking.” She inserted the key and turned the lock. “This is one of the guest rooms.”

The room was spacious and beautiful, golden light falling in to the room through the ceiling high windows. There were four beds in the room, light wooden frames topped with high mattresses and cream colored sheets and pillows. The room had been recently cleaned it seemed, the fresh, soapy smell still in the air. There were fresh flowers in the room and the plants gleamed from just being watered.

On one of the beds, a bag sat, dark leather and still packed.

“Someone else staying with us?” Terra asked, putting their bags to one side.

Kairi nodded. “Yeah, Riku got here a few hours ago,” she said. “You don’t mind, do you?”

All three of them shook their heads. “Of course not!” Ventus said, fists curled in front of him. “We really like Riku!”

Kairi smiled at Ventus and tucked a lock of her red hair behind her hair. “I’m glad,” she said. “So do I.”

“If Riku’s here, Sora’s sure to be around here somewhere, right?” Aqua asked. She pulled out a chair by a table in the room and sat down, sighing a bit in relief.

For some reason Kairi looked a little awkward. “Ah, he is here,” she said. “He got here a few days ago.”

“Nothing’s wrong, I hope,” Aqua said. Terra and Ventus walked over to the window while Kairi and Aqua spoke. From the corner of Aqua’s eye she saw them grinning by the window, pointing down at something below. It warmed her heart to see them like that. “I mean, you sound a little…”

Kairi put a hand to her chest and fidgeted with her necklace, a gesture Aqua knew by now that Kairi did when she was nervous.

“I mean, everything was just fine when they got back,” Kairi said, sounding a little strained. “Things were a little weird, but from what they told me it had been… really difficult, what they went through.” She turned and walked over to one of the beds. She sat down and put her hands on her knees. By then, Terra and Ventus had gone silent and listened to her from the window.

She blew out air so hard her bangs flew up. “Apparently, Riku told Sora… how he felt,” she said. “I’m pretty sure everyone knew how he felt… except for Sora.” Aqua and Terra shared a look.

“We had an inkling,” Terra said. “There’s only so many times a person can talk about another person the way Riku talks about Sora before you get an idea how they feel about them.”

Kairi nodded and made a wide gesture like ‘see!’. “Riku told me before he left for the other world to get Sora back, but he was adamant about how ‘it doesn’t mean anything’ and ‘I didn’t have to worry because he didn’t feel the same way’. Like he’d already made up his mind about how Sora felt without even telling him.”

Aqua grinned, a little sadly though. “To be fair, alongside knowing how Riku felt, a lot of us were pretty sure you and Sora were… well, felt that way about each other.”

There was a moment of silence and then Kairi sighed. “No matter what, Sora is so important to me,” she said. “He’s my greatest friend and I love him to pieces. But as a friend, and nothing more. We talked about that, him and me… I was so relieved. Felt like a weight got lifted off my shoulders. And then he just blurted out ‘Riku loves me’.”

All three of them cringed in sympathy. As much as they all knew how Riku felt, they all knew how much it must have cost Riku to tell Sora, if it was even his choice at all. In the time they got to know him, they all knew Riku as someone who kept his feelings close to his chest, went inward when he was stressed or scared or angry. The idea of him just stepping up to Sora and telling him how he felt was hard to believe.

“Apparently something happened in that other world, and Sora found out that Riku’s,” Kairi said and stopped, looking up at the ceiling. “Gosh, has a crush sounds so insignificant to how Riku feels. I saw it, you know, when I sent him to the other world. I had to connect to his heart and it was just… so powerful. What I felt seemed so tiny compared to it.”

Aqua shook her head. “Don’t say that,” she said. “I’m sure Riku would never want you to think that of your own heart.”

Kairi smiled. “That’s what he said,” she said. “That’s our Riku, tough on the outside, all goo and fluff on the inside. Anyway, cat’s out of the bag and things have been a little strained lately. They get along fine, but Sora doesn’t really know how to act around Riku, and Riku doesn’t want to make things awkward between them.”

“Boys…” Aqua sighed and Kairi nodded sagely. “No offence,” she said in Terra and Ventus’ direction.

Terra waved a hand and sat down on one of the other beds. “None taken,” he said. “I wish there was something we could do.”

Kairi sighed again and shrugged. “And it’s not even like Sora turned him down, he just said he didn’t know, he didn’t know,” she said. “Love’s tricky for Sora, he thinks love is just something everyone gets in equal measure, and that almost everyone’s deserving of it. So when Riku comes along and tells him something like ‘you’re my most precious person’…”

“That sounds like Riku,” Terra said, looking mildly proud. “He’s just as much an all or nothing guy, especially when it comes to Sora.”

Kairi stood up and held her hands arms out to the side. “Well, we were kinda hoping just having fun at the fair would get them to act a little more normal around each other,” she said. “I caught Riku the other day looking openly sad when Sora wouldn’t make much eye contact with him and you know it’s reached critical mass when that happens.”

They all nod. “Dinner’s in about an hour!” she said, veering away from the topic at hand. “It’s back down the hall and the big room on the left. I made sure to get those radishes you like, Ven,” Kairi smiled at Ventus, whose cheeks flushed a little at the attention. Both Terra and Aqua smiled. “I gotta go check on what needs to be done still, the fair starts tomorrow at noon and there’s still a lot to be done!”

Aqua stood and brushed off her clothes. “If there’s anything we can do to help…?”

“Don’t be silly!” Kairi said, walking to the door. “You’re our guests! There’ll be plenty to do tomorrow, so just rest and get ready for it.”

They smiled as they watched her go.

Kairi looked right at Ventus before she pulled the door shut. “I’m sure you’ll think of something.”

——

Dinnertime felt more like a large reunion of friends. The room was packed with familiar faces. Lea, Roxas and Xion sat at one corner of the table, laughing and talking. On the other side, Isa appeared to be having a serious discussion with Namine about something or other, while Kairi sat with Sora and Vanitas. Some of the people working at the castle had joined them, Even and Ienzo, Aeleus and Dilan. There were several unfamiliar faces but it was still a merry gathering.

“Heard we’re roommates,” Riku said as he walked up to them. “Sorry if I snore too loud.”

Terra and Aqua laugh but Ventus holds up his hands. “You didn’t snore at all last time you stayed with us, Riku,” he said.

“Must’ve been a good day,” Riku replied, grinning. “But thanks Ven, I appreciate it.”

Ventus seemed pleased with his response. “I’m gonna go say hi to Vanitas,” he said, squaring his shoulders. In the time since Vanitas had returned, they had been making an effort to find a balanced relationship between them. It was slow going, but in the right direction. Luckily, Sora and Kairi’s happy faces immediately opened them up to each other when Ventus sat down next to Vanitas.

Aqua caught Riku looking in Sora’s direction and frowned a little when their eyes made contact and Sora looked away, his face flushed.

“Mind if I sit with you guys?” Riku asked and Aqua’s heart squeezed in sympathy.

Terra clapped a hand on Riku’s shoulder. “You’re always welcome with us, Riku,” he said, and even though it was just a tad too earnest and sincere for an invitation to sit next to them at dinner it did seem to take some of the tension out of Riku.

“I thought we were just coming by for a visit and to drop off some books,” Aqua said as they sat down. “But this looks like a lot of fun!”

Riku nodded and reached across the table for a plate of potatoes. “Yeah, they’ve been planning this months now,” he said. “Namine tried to rope me into it, but I’ve been too busy. Think I’ll just stay here and catch up on some studying I was going to do.”

“There’s nothing wrong with having some downtime, Riku,” Terra said. “You don’t always have to be working.”

Riku nodded like he already knew what Terra was saying but still didn’t agree. In the year Sora had disappeared Riku had been relentless in looking for him, torn between mindless desperation to get his best friend back and guilt at letting him go in the first place. The fact that he had gotten what he had worked so hard so for, only to be left with awkward silences and strained looks broke Aqua’s heart.

Riku deserved good things in his life, and he certainly needed to be reminded of the fact that he was a young man. Young men can have fun with their friends sometimes.

“I’m sure we can find time to at least walk the grounds, see what there is to do,” Aqua offered gently, her blue eyes trying to convey as much as she could at Riku. “If it’s not your cup of tea, you can always go back to your studies.”

Riku nodded and looked again across the table, only this time it wasn’t to find potatoes or any other kind of food. He looked at Sora, who was laughing at something Kairi and Vanitas were bickering about. From the way his jaw moved and how his hands curled on his legs under the table, one would’ve thought he wanted to jump the length of the table so he could sit next to his best friend.

“We’ll see,” Riku said, breaking his gaze and the spell when he turned to Aqua.

——

“Thanks for coming on a walk with me,” Ventus said, as he walked down the streets.

They must have looked odd, the two of them like identical twins. The only difference between them was the slight difference in the shade of their hair.

“No prob,” Roxas replied, waving a hand. As far as Ventus was concerned, Roxas was the epitome of what it meant to be cool. He was happy to have him as a friend, even if it was still a little weird to be talking to himself. “Xion loves having all those people around, I get tired of it after awhile.”

Ventus nodded. “I get a little overwhelmed sometimes too,” he said. “Guess a ten year nap isn’t great for the nerves. But I’m getting better at it.”

The streets had gotten a little more quiet, but there were still more than enough people about getting ready for the fair that would open the next day. Both Kairi and Namine had shot off after dinner, mentioning something about committees and last minute check-ups. No one stood in their way.

Because it was summer, it was still light out at nine in the evening, but the sun had begun to set, covering the world in an amber wash. It was a difference to the brilliant blue from the afternoon but not any less beautiful.

“Hey, Roxas,” Ventus said, sounding a little apprehensive.

“Yeah?” Roxas replied as they walked. “What’s up?”

Ventus shrugged. “I’m just a little worried about Riku,” he said. Roxas grunted in reply. “And Sora, too. I know everyone thinks he wears his heart on his sleeve, but I think you know what I mean when I say that he doesn’t always really.”

Roxas contemplated his words for a minute or two before replying. “Yeah, I see what you mean,” he said. “Those two are oblivious. They’re gonna run themselves into the ground with all the circles they keep going in.”

There was an extra skip in Ventus’ step as they walked. “I saw a poster when he arrived!” he said. “Something about a tourney. We should sign one of them up, just like in one of the old stories, where the knights battle and joust and do all kinds of things to prove their love.”

Roxas gives him a half lidded look. “You mean, like a big romantic gesture.” he said. “I’m pretty sure Riku spilling the beans he’s been head over heels for Sora for, I don’t know, his whole life is already a pretty big romantic gesture. Maybe Sora just doesn’t feel the same way.”

“But Kairi said he hadn’t turned Riku down,” Ventus said, hands out in front of him to emphasize his frustration. “So maybe he just needs to see how much Riku really feels for him.”

“Eh,” Roxas said, and Ventus still thought he made even that look cool. “I don’t know if a tourney’s gonna get the point across, but there’s no harm in it right? I think I know where they were setting up for the tourney.”

Ventus grabbed Roxas by the arm and began to run. “Come on! It’s up to us now!”

They ran down the streets, turning corners and dodging people carrying boxes and setting things up without too much incident. By the time they reached the tourney grounds, both of them are laughing and breathless.

Roxas was bent over, hands on his knees to catch his breath. “I’m already not liking this idea as much anymore.”

Ventus however, looked at the tourney grounds with wide eyes. “This is great!” he cried out. The makeshift arena is made entirely of wood, colorful bright flags already flying high above them. There’s little wind so they’re not moving much, but it still made Ventus look on in delight.

“The sign-in booth is over there,” Ventus said, pointing at a little white tent with the same kind of embellishment that decorated the town and streets of Radiant Garden. “I hope someone’s there.”

Fortunately for them, and for Roxas’ lungs, there is someone in the tent, who looked up at them in surprise when they entered.

“Can I help you, boys?” An older man asked, from behind a small table. There were sets of armor and weapons that lined the tent, banners of multiple colors hung from the canvas ceiling.

“We were wondering, we’d like to sign up for the tourney!” Ventus said.

The man however, frowned.

“I’m sorry,” he said. “But we’re completely full. The sign-ins went very quick, and the tourney starts tomorrow evening.”

All the excitement that Ventus had been full of as they ran through the town flew out of him like a balloon emptying. He even hung his head a little, sighing deeply.

“I’m sure there’s something else you can do to impress your sweethearts at the fair tomorrow,” the man said and both of them stand up straight.

Roxas walked over to the table. “It’s not for us, we’re not the ones signing up,” he explained. “Look, not to be rude but to make a long story short, a friend of ours has been in love another friend of ours his whole life. They’re sort of… in limbo, now. It’s pretty painful to watch.”

The old man leaned back in his chair and watched Roxas closely. Behind him, Ventus looked on with a hopeful look.

“This guy we want to sign up,” Roxas said. “He’s worth the extra effort, I promise. Showmanship, chivalry, self-sacrificial tendencies, the works… he may not have invented it, but he’s pretty hellbent on perfecting those things. So could you do us a solid and let us put his name down?”

Again, the old man gave them a look and then sighed. “You two are lucky I’m a romantic.”

Ventus cheered and jumped in place while Roxas nodded with a smirk.

The old man held out a long sheet of paper that was filled with about twenty-five names.

“Just fill his name in at the bottom,” the old man instructed. “And where he comes from.”

Roxas took the pen the man offered him and leaned over to write down the name.

_Riku, of the Destiny Islands_

Roxas turned to give Ventus a relaxed fist bump.

The old man smiled at them. “Tell your friend to be here tomorrow at four.”

“Thank you, sir!” Ventus said, grabbing Roxas by the shoulders.

Roxas turned to steer Ventus out of the tent.

“You won’t regret it!”


	2. Courage

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Riku finds out he's been signed up for the tourney. He tries to get out of it, it doesn't work.
> 
> The first day of the tourney begins!

**Once the three brave knights had seen the King whose fair daughter had been taken away from him, they set out on a journey to retrieve her. The reward for their chivalrous deeds, should they be successful, would be a vassal state, a great deal of wealth and the hand of said daughter’s hand in marriage.**

**Before they departed to find the princess in need, they asked a local boy to accompany them.**

**Said young man was strong of body and kind of heart, and when requested he could think of greater honor than to accompany not one, but three brave knights. He left his family behind and promised to return.**

**They gave him a shield and three colors to wear - each one representing each knight. Truth, honor and glory.**

——

The first thing Naminé learned about herself was that she was good at organizing things.

Whether it was a remant from her time as Nobody, she may never know. But hopefully it would help fast track her way into the Society of Fairies, Witches and Sorceresses. Fairy Godmother would be so proud of her.

She clutched her clipboard to her chest as she walked down the hall of the Radiant Garden castle, determined to get one thing out of the way before starting her day.

It was the first day of the Millennial Fair, and as a member of the committee she had her work cut out for her.

Without knocking, Naminé opened the door of one of the guest bedrooms and strode in, pace calm, face serene.

For a moment, she looked at Riku’s sleeping form and almost felt sorry for him.

Almost.

Naminé walked over to the bed and sat down at the end, Riku’s feet moving before the rest of him got with the program.

“Uh, bleh.. wha?” Riku asked, his head lifting an inch. Eyes bleary, face bisected by a red line caused by a crease on his pillow and voice gritty, Naminé marvelled at the reverse transformation from impressive warrior and Keyblade Master to what Riku looked like then.

“Don’t worry, I won’t be long,” Naminé said, clipboard on her lap. “I just came to warn you.”

Riku moved around, slowly sitting up. “Wha... warn me? What are you doing here,” Riku said more than asked. Naminé liked to think that was part of his charm. “Aren’t you supposed to be getting the troops in line?”

“And so I shall,” Naminé replied. “But something’s up, and it’s got something to do with you.”

Riku slid down the headboard, his already rumpled white t-shirt rumpling more. The other beds were empty, Naminé had seen Terra, Aqua and Ven earlier at breakfast.

“You’ve made an art out of sounding like you know everything,” Riku said, though his face was fond. Despite a somewhat tumultuous and complex past, they were good friends now. “I was planning on sleeping in.”

Naminé giggled and stood. “I do know everything,” she said. “Well, not everything. But enough to know that the next few days are going to be very entertaining.”

There was really no other way of telling him without giving the others away. Before Riku could have an opinion about it, Naminé turned to leave.

“Anyway, lots to do!” she said brightly. She walked to the door and turned back. “By the way, Sora asked where you were. I think he’s worried.”

Riku’s face shuttered and he said nothing.

“Fine,” she sighed. “See you later.”

The goodbye Riku gave her was halfhearted and she really didn’t blame him. Naminé opened the door and closed it behind her.

She walked down the hall until she passed Ven and Kairi, heads bent together and whispering. Naminé nodded at them with a smile.

While it did sound fun, their plans, Naminé had things to do, being on the committee and all.

Riku watched her go and sighed. Just as he had decided to go back to bed, the door opened again and revealed Kairi and Ventus.

“Good morning!” Kairi said, one hand in the air. She looked like she’d already had a day of work behind her, hair up in a ponytailed braid. She wore a pretty dress that fell to her calves, with sturdy brown boots underneath. “I’m glad you’re up, we’ve got some great news.”

Riku raised an eyebrow. “Great news, huh?” he asked. “Looks to me like you’re up to no good. Hope you didn’t get Ven into trouble.”

Before Kairi could protest, Ventus stepped forward. “Oh no, this was all my idea, Riku!”

Between Naminé coming in to give him some enigmatic warning and now this, Riku felt genuine confusion set in. How was it possible that the one time he wanted to be left alone and do something for himself that suddenly everyone was interested in him.

“What… was your idea, Ven?” Riku asked.

Kairi and Ventus shared a look and Riku wasn’t quite sure which one of them was going to explode with apparent excitement first.

“When Terra and Aqua and I got here, I saw this poster in the square,” Ven started to explain. The excitement that seemed to vibrate right out of him was endearing and Riku smiled a little. “About the Millennial Fair! And it said there was going to be tourney. Brave men and women fighting for truth, honor and glory!”

The confusion Riku felt only grew until he connected Ventus’ excited energy to Kairi’s expectant face and then to Naminé’s cryptic five minute visit.

“Ven,” Riku said, apprehensive. “That sounds really fun but… what does it have to do with me?”

Kairi and Ventus shared another look and before Ventus could, Kairi cried out, “We signed you up!”

For a moment, Riku just stared at them with wide eyes.

When he was growing up, Riku had his fair share of people around him. But it was really Sora that made all the friends. By extension, Riku would play with them but he never really connected with them. Surprisingly, it had been Riku to ask Kairi to play with them when he arrived at the islands. He had both loved and hated that decision throughout the years. Now he had more friends than he could really keep track of, real friends and not just by extension. Especially in the year Sora had disappeared, he had connected with each and every one of them in different ways. He’d opened up to them, let them really see him.

Riku supposed this was the result of opening up.

He wasn’t entirely sure he liked it much.

“You signed me up,” Riku said. “To compete in the Millennial Fair tourney.”

Ventus and Kairi nodded.

“I’ve read so many stories about brave knights,” Ventus said, his blue eyes sparkling. “And nobody I know if as brave and knightly as you! I mean, not that all our friends aren’t brave but you’re…”

“He gets it!” Kairi interrupted. “We thought it’d be fun… and we thought…”

Kairi’s face changed, her smile going a little sheepish. Ventus seemed to have fairly straight forward intentions but of course there was something more to it.

“What did you think?” Riku asked, one hand on his hip.

“Well, we thought since you and Sora have been a little distant lately,” Kairi said. “This might be a good way to show him everything’s okay.”

Riku inhaled sharply through his nose.

It had been hard when they came back. Sora hadn’t been unkind, he didn’t have an unkind bone in his body and Riku loved him for that. He didn’t treat Riku with any disdain or judgement now that he knew how Riku felt, really felt about him. But the words Riku said to him had been said in a dangerous situation, under duress. It had been a price to pay to make sure Sora had come home safe.

The tentative way Sora treated him once they returned could have been a multitude of things, whether it was guilt or confusion or just an inability to see Riku as the same person anymore but no matter what it was, or where it came from, it hurt. It hurt to be in a room with his best friend and not know what to say. It hurt to see Sora look away when Riku looked at him. It hurt that Sora was acting like Riku was wounded.

The way he felt had been his strength for so long and now it had, perhaps indefinitely, altered their friendship. Not for the better, at any rate.

“I’ve tried,” Riku said. “I’ve told him nothing’s different. But everything’s different.” The frustration that had been building inside Riku since they had come home felt suddenly like a cupboard about to burst, the doors shaking, the porcelain insides of his heart about to come bursting out and crash to bits on the floor. “Is this… this isn’t funny.”

It wasn’t funny. It felt the same as realising Sora’s eyes were a different shade of blue than anyone else’s and not being able to say anything about it. It felt the same as walking into a secret place, their secret place, and seeing the little writing on the wall that he wasn’t as special as he thought he was. It felt like watching that stupid Paopu fruit float in the water after Sora had tossed it away.

Ventus looks positively stricken. Kairi on the other hand, looks a little miffed.

“You two,” Kairi said. “Like I haven’t had to box your ears a hundred times over the years in order to get you to talk to each other!” She stepped up close to Riku and he was very aware how small she was compared to him. “You’re forgetting one very important thing.”

“Oh yeah, what’s that?” Riku asked, taking his hand off his hip so he could cross it over his chest with his other arm.

Kairi gave Riku a light shove. “He hasn’t turned you down,” she said. “He just said he didn’t know. And that means it’s not over yet. You’ve fought for him for so long, without ever telling him why. And now that he finally knows, you’re just gonna give up?!”

“And what does competing in a tourney have anything to do with that?” Riku shot back, even though he had a sinking feeling he wasn’t going to get off easily. “I’m gonna sweep him off his feet with my valiant sword swinging skills? Pretty sure he already knows I can swing a sword, Kairi.”

This time, Ventus interrupted Kairi before she could say anything and both Riku and Kairi turned sharply to him when he spoke.

“Riku, when you told him,” he said. “You were in a scary situation. He didn’t get the chance to realise what it meant. And when you got back, neither of you really talked about it. And the longer you let it sit, the more awkward it got.”

It was a simple truth and one that Riku had been avoiding for months.

“I know a tourney sounds silly,” Ventus said. “But you’re a brave, kind, honorable guy. I think, instead of showing how you feel because you have to, you show him how you feel because you want to he won’t disappoint you, no matter what his answer is.”

Kairi gave Ventus such a happy, relieved look Ventus had to look away.

“He’s right, you know,” Kairi said.

But something in Riku still felt like he was being made to do something that would get him hurt… again. What if he did all that and Sora would feel even more embarrassed. His brain wouldn’t stop spinning with all the possible ways it could go horribly wrong.

“Look…” Riku said. “I get you guys meant well, but… I don’t think it’s a good idea.”

Both their faces fall at the same time. It almost made Riku feel guilty for dashing their hopes.

He apologised again and escaped to the bathroom. He heard Kairi call his name before he shut the door and leant back against it. It didn’t take long for the sound of the other door opening and closing, signalling their departure.

Riku looked down at his hand and for the first time in a long while, really doubted why everyone thought him so brave.

——

_“If you had to choose, which one do you wanna be when you grow up?” Sora asked, skipping backwards as they walked home. Sora liked to ask Riku questions because Riku always gave the best answers. “A pirate… a king… or a knight?”_

_Riku looked up at the sky as they walked and thought hard. A pirate sounded like fun, but, and he would never tell Sora this, he got seasick easy. The first time he went out on the ferry to the main island with his mother he had been so sick he almost asked to go home. Once they were on a dry land, it went away quickly, especially when his mother gave him some peppermint and a hug._

_So, not a pirate._

_A king? Riku doubted it. His father had been a fisherman, but he had left when Riku was still a baby. Sometimes, he saw his mother staring out the window, like it might make him come back. His mother did laundry and fixed clothes and made things to sell at the market, just so they had enough to get by. Riku didn’t mind, they got along alright, even if Riku’s mother ignored him sometimes or didn’t really listen to what he said. Riku didn’t think a king would have those kind of struggles._

_So, not a king._

_“Hey, Riku!” Sora said. “Are you okay?”_

_Riku shook his head. “Huh? What do you mean?”_

_“You got all lost in your head!” Sora said and stopped skipping. Just as he did, his foot caught on a rock and he went flying backwards. He would’ve gone straight to the ground and maybe even hit his head if Riku hadn’t shot forward and grabbed his hand. Sora held on tight and laughed, relieved._

_“You should be more careful,” Riku said, pulling Sora up straight. “I’m not gonna be around all the time to watch out for you.”_

_Sora shook his head and pointed at the shiny necklace that sat on his collar. Rikuhad spent every last bit of his allowance to get it for him, but he hadn’t told Sora that. He knew Sora would feel bad if he did._

_“Nuh-uh, you promised!” Sora held his hand up at the sky. “You promised you’d protect me. And you can’t break your promise, Riku!”_

_Riku looked at Sora’s necklace._

_So, a knight then._

_He could do that._

_——_

It took less than an hour for Riku to admit he was being childish and that he really couldn’t hide out in the bathroom all day.

He washed and dressed and tried to put on a less unhappy face. He hadn’t meant to disappoint Kairi or Ventus.

The castle at Radiant Garden was as good as empty, which probably meant the Millennial Fair was under way. It had been the topic of discussion since he had arrived and Naminé and Kairi had done their fair share of trying to get him to participate via Gummiphone. For once, he was glad Yen Sid and Mickey kept him so busy.

Of all the people he was expecting to run into, Sora wasn’t that person.

Riku had expected, and hoped really, that Sora would be at the Fair having fun. Sora loved these sorts of things, he loved the noise and the people and the food. No matter how awkward things were, Riku wanted nothing more than for his best friend to be happy.

Sora spotted him walking down the hall and gave him a small smile.

“Uh, hi,” he said. How had they gotten like this? To being entirely in tune to one another to not really knowing what to say anymore. “Are you going to the fair?” Sora asked.

For a very brief moment, Riku wanted to tell Sora the truth. He wanted to tell him that he’d much rather just sit inside and read books and not be surrounded by people who looked at him with a constant hint of sympathy.

And in that brief moment he realised, there really was only one way to get them to stop looking at him like that. To get Sora to stop looking at him like that, stop not knowing what to say to him.

It also meant admitting Kairi was right and he was wrong, but he’d cross that bridge when he came to it.

“Uh, yeah,” Riku said and there was just a hint of excitement in Sora’s eyes. “Maybe we could go see something together, I hear there’s plenty to do.”

“Yeah!” Sora responded and it almost felt like usual if Sora didn’t catch himself in his enthusiasm and look suddenly shy.

Riku swallowed and prayed he wasn’t going to regret this for the rest of his life.

“How about the tourney?” Riku asked, trying his hardest to sound casual. It was something they would’ve done together anyway, even if Riku hadn’t laid his heart bare for Sora to see.

Sora looked pensive. “Tourney?” he asked. “You mean, like in those books we used to read?” The excitement was back, which made Riku feel deceptively hopeful. “That sounds awesome! What time is it?”

Riku didn’t actually know the answer to that question, but he remember Ventus mentioning a poster in the square. “Uh, I forgot… but I don’t think it’s until this afternoon. There’s posters outside, you can check. I’ll see you there?”

If Riku’s hopes were deceptive, Sora certainly wasn’t and Riku should have known better. His best friend nodded and continued on, waving at him. “See you there!”

Riku watched him until he left and then let his head hang back in his neck with a groan.

——

“I’m telling you, he’ll show up,” Vanitas said from his perch by the tent opening.

The sun was shining brightly, so if he had been anyone else, it would’ve looked uncomfortable for someone to be wearing so much black and not sweating their face off. Beside that, he looked mildly bored.

“I hate it when you do this,” Kairi said to Vanitas.

Vanitas gave her a mildly disdainful look. “What did I do now?”

“Just, that!” Kairi said, flapping a hand at Vanitas. “Look so calm! You don’t know Riku, he may be the most stubborn person I know.”

Vanitas scoffed. “Not a lot in the way of self knowledge, huh princess?”

“Guys,” Ventus said. “I think we may have pushed him, and we really should’ve asked first.” Both Kairi and Vanitas gave Ventus a soft look while Roxas gave him a playful shove.

“Don’t give up so easily,” Roxas said. “I think Vanitas is right, I’ve been riding shotgun in Sora’s heart long enough to know Riku will at the very least, take this as an opportunity to win something.”

Ventus looked Roxas and nodded. “He does really like winning.”

The elderly gentleman that had been in charge of the sign in that Ventus and Roxas met the day before joined them by the outside of the tent, accompanied by Lea.

“We’re just about finished instructing all the other participants, has your friend arrived yet?”

Kairi looked at everyone and sighed. She didn’t want to be rude and keep him waiting, not when he was sure to be very busy.

Just as she opened her mouth a voice sounded out behind her.

“I’m here!”

Riku ran up to them. “Sorry, I’m late,” he said, as if he had meant to come all along.

The older man nodded. “Not at all, you’re just in time,” he said. “I assume you’re Riku, of the Destiny Islands.” On paper it had looked a little silly to Roxas, but now the older man said it out loud, it sounded like something out of a story.

Riku nodded. “Yes, sir, that’s me,” he said.

“My name is Ector,” he said. “I’m the head of the tourney organisation. If you and your friends would like to join me inside, we’ll get started on explaining how things are going to go.” Ector gave Riku a look up and down. “You certainly look the part.”

If Ventus looked any more excited, he might have swooned.

Ector held out his hand as a gesture to enter the tent. “You certainly have your fair share of admirers already,” he said to Riku as they entered, referring to his friends.

“Why are you even here?” Roxas asked Lea as they followed Riku and Ector inside.

Lea just shrugged. “Pyrotechnics,” he said. “You’ll see. I’m being a helpful citizen of my hometown, okay?”

Roxas chuckled. “I can’t wait to see how setting stuff on fire has anything to do with you being a helpful citizen.”

“It’s like we don’t even know each other,” Lea bemoaned.

Ventus ran in the tent, his eyes shining.

Before Vanitas could even hop down off the barrel he’d been sitting on, Kairi held out a finger and pointed it straight at him. “Don’t you say it.”

“Don’t have to, princess,” Vanitas shot back and followed her into the tent. “You already did.”

Once they were all inside the small canvas tent, Ector held out his arms.

The tent was made of light fabric, so the sun shining on it cast the room into a soft light. In the tent was a table and a few chairs. On the table stood a breastplate and pauldrons, alongside a blank shield and a white banner.

Riku wondered if he could use it to surrender before the day was done.

All of the furniture was in a style that reminded him of other worlds, deep colored wood with beautiful etchings on them, velvet cushions and a piece of cream colored parchment on the table with a quill and inkwell next to it.

“By the will of your very determined friends,” Ector said. “You are the last official competitor in the Radiant Garden Millennial Fair Tourney.” Everyone besides Riku had found a place to sit, watching the spectacle in the tent with a range of emotions, from mild amusement to rapt attention.

“As of this afternoon, you will be known as Sir Riku, of the Destiny Islands,” Ector continued. “And you will fight for truth, honor and glory as the knights of old once did when our world was still young.”

Riku looked around the room with a bemused expression. So far as all of his friends seemed very into the idea of Sir Riku, no matter how ridiculous it sounded to him.

“The tourney will consist of seven tasks, over the course of seven days,” Ector said. “The first is the melee contest, where of the thirty-one competitors, the twenty-one left standing will go on to the next round.”

Melee contest, which meant knocking people off their feet with whatever weapon they gave him. He could do that.

“The second is a race, on Chocoboback,” Ector continued and Riku did a double take.

“Chocobos?” Riku asked. He’d heard talk of them but he’d never seen one. Though, he could ride a motorcycle so how hard could it be?

“The third is an obstacle course, the fourth jousting on Chocoboback,” Ector said. Vanitas opened his mouth to speak but Ector stopped him before he could say a word. “Not on Chocoboback.”

He would have to keep any real combat talent to a bare minimum. It wasn’t that being a Keyblade Master was a secret, but Yen Sid and Mickey had advised him to keep his exposure to a bare minimum, so as not attract any unwanted attention.

“The fifth is the gaining of a legendary weapon, and the sixth will be rescuing a maiden from a fiery dreadlord’s keep,” Ector said. While the rest were all rapt with Ector’s storytelling, Roxas reached behind him to smack Lea on the leg.

“Fiery dreadlord?” Roxas asked in a whisper.

“Just a more poetic way to say pyrotechnics,” Lea responded with a wink.

Ector cleared his throat. “And last, but certainly not least,” he said. “The final challenge, the one on one battle between the last two competitors, which will then decide the champion of the tourney. The champion will be rewarded with one thousand munny and an evening spent with the rescued fair maiden.”

“Munny and women,” Lea joked under his breath. “Riku’s favorite things.” Roxas and Vanitas snickered and Kairi shushed them with a threatening hand in the air and wide indigo eyes. All three of them were immediately silent.

“Of course,” Ector said with an air of finality. “This is all for entertainment purposes. All of the tasks form little risk, however,” he said. “I would advise you to take it seriously, though I think you should do it all right, strapping lad like you.” He looked Riku up and down again. “What is it you do, anyway?”

Riku cleared his throat. “I ah,” he said, thinking fast. “I travel a lot, do a lot of odd jobs. Whatever people need me to do.”

The answer appeared to appease Ector’s curiosity and he nodded.

“Well, all that remains is for me to ask you to sign this document,” he gestured to the cream colored piece of parchment on the table. At a quick glance it appeared to some kind of legal document, that if he actually caught fire or fell and broke his neck he couldn’t hold the Millennial Fair Committee accountable. Riku wasn’t too worried about all that. At the bottom, there was a line for him to sign. He took the quill and dipped it in the ink. The scratching sound of the quill almost made him feel like he was really in one of the adventure books he and Sora used to read when they were children.

“Sir Riku,” Ector said and held out something that made Riku laugh.

A sword, though quite a great deal bigger than he was used, made entirely of wood. The wood looked sturdier than the kind he and Sora had used to make theirs, but it still brought back a rush of memories. He took the sword and nodded. “Thank you.”

“Your colors?” Ector asked as he crossed the length of the tent to the way they all came in. Riku looked around the room, expecting someone to come to his aid.

Kairi, of course, perked up. “Purple and gold!” She shrugged at Riku. “We voted, purple and gold won by the length of a nose.”

“You mean, you and Naminé wanted purple and gold and they all had no say in the matter,” Riku deadpanned. Kairi just gave him a smile that told him he was right and Ventus looked at Riku like he’d just pulled wisdom from a crystal ball.

“Good luck, Sir Riku,” Ector said and left the tent without further ado.

Riku looked down at the wooden sword and sighed. He supposed there was no getting out of it.

——

“I’m here!” Naminé’s voice rang out when she rushed into the tent. She took a moment to catch her breath before holding up a colorful piece of fabric.

And colorful may have been an understatement. There were all different hues of purple, edged with yellows and golds and it looks an awful lot like…

“... a Dreameater,” Riku said. He didn’t take the fabric from her. “What is it?”

“It’s your tunic,” Naminé responded. She shook both hands to urge him to take and he did, handing her the wooden sword in return. The minute it was on Lea snickered.

Riku held up his arms. “Problem?”

“Only that we may have to change your name to Riku the Flamboyant,” Lea said. Riku raised his arm with a rude hand gesture in response without turning around.

“How did you even get this done so fast? And how did you know I changed my mind?” Riku asked Naminé.

Naminé shrugged and held up her Gummiphone. “Magic!”

Roxas of all people wandered over from the other side of the tent and gave Riku a once over. “It needs a belt.”

Riku sighed.

“I was relying on the hope that you wouldn’t want to get involved in this,” Riku said. Roxas shrugged and took the belt Naminé handed him. Between her enigmatic smile and Roxas’ sudden interest in him playing the knight part right, Riku felt genuine terror.

Roxas reached around Riku’s waist, wrapped the belt around it, fastened it and looped it around so the end didn’t hang awkwardly. “Look man, it may have been Ventus’ idea but I was the one who signed you up. You and Sora are this big old love story that needs a kick in the ass to get on its way...”

Everyone in the tent came over to stand behind Riku while he looked at himself in the mirror. Naminé’s handiwork was skillful despite the fact that she seemed to have made it with a snap of her fingers and against his tan skin and silver hair the tunic actually looked good. The Dreameater sigil is familiar but the little crown atop it made his cheeks flush.

“Riku the Dreamer,” Roxas said with a grin. “Protector of Precious Things.”

By the time Riku could react to Roxas he was engulfed in a group hug and he relented to whatever else his friends had in store for him.

——

“I don’t understand!” Sora said as Kairi grabbed him by the arm. “Riku said we’d meet here… Kairi, I don’t want him to think I stood him up.”

The look on her friend’s face was a sad puppy of a thing, but she’d been around that boy practically her whole life so there was no way it was going to work on her. Besides, if she could work her way around Riku’s stubbornness, she could certainly work her way around Sora’s pouting.

“Trust me, you two’ll find each other,” Kairi reassured him. “But if we don’t go in now, we won’t get the really good seats. Oh by the way,” she reached into her bag and pulled out a flag. It was purple with golden edges. “This is for you.”

Sora took it from her and gave it and her another confused look. “I don’t get it,” he said and gave the flag a little wave. “What I do with this?”

“Cheer, of course!” Kairi said and pulled him to the stairs that lead the tourney stands.

It was impressively built, considering how little time they’d had, but Kairi had the feeling a little magic had helped a long the way. The whole construct was made of wood, though with the decorations and flowers and flags, it looked like something out of a fairy tale. There was so many people around, filing up the wooden stairs to get to their seats. All of them carried flags in different colors and a happy feeling filled Kairi’s heart when she saw a few random people in the lines carrying purple flags.

“Have you got one for Riku?” Sora asked as they climbed the stairs.

Kairi nodded. “Yeah, sure do,” she replied.

They reached the top of the stairs and walked down one of the rows. In the middle of one of them sat Terra, Aqua, Xion and Roxas. They made their way down the row and sat down.

“Hi guys, where’s everybody else?” Kairi asked.

Aqua, who sat next to her, turned and smiled. “They said they were on their way,” she said. “It’s so crowded, they’re probably just stuck in line.”

“Hey, Aqua, you’ve got a purple flag too,” Sora said, holding his flag up. “Like mine!”

Aqua held up the flag and so did Terra. “Of course we do,” she said. “We wouldn’t dream of getting a different color.”

Sora’s face screwed up in confusion and he looked down into the tourney grounds, a large oblong shape. The wooden sides were covered with what appeared to be about thirty different colored banners. It dawned on him.

“Does the color mean we’re rooting for someone in particular?” he asked.

Kair and Aqua nodded.

“Nah, we just wanted to be a matching set, so everyone knows we’re all together,” Roxas said with a grin which earned him a playful shove from Xion.

Sora looked down at his flag. “I wonder who we’re cheering for,” he wondered, more to himself than anyone.

Kairi leaned over and gave him a nudge with her shoulder. “You’ll see.” she said. “It’ll be great.”

It took nearly half an hour, but the entire arena was full by the end of it. The stands were a sea of happy faces, young and old, and bright colorful little flags. Their entire row of seats was filled from end to the next of friends, but to Sora’s confusion, no Riku.

“Are you sure Riku knows where we are?” Sora asked, looking around the stands. “What if he has to sit all by himself.”

Kairi didn’t look at him, but she did put her hand on his wrist. “He’ll be here, don’t worry.”

The sound of trumpets put a halt to Sora’s worries and the whole crowd cheered loudly. “It’s starting!”

At one end of the arena was a little alcove, with an edge of flowers that reminded Sora a little of Corona. Inside the alcove stood Elcot, one man dressed in brightly colored clothes and a one man dressed like a king, shiny crown on his head. He even wore a beard that was clearly fake. Beside them stood a familiar face.

“Yeah!” Kairi shouted. “Princess Naminé!”

Naminé wore a pretty robin’s egg blue gown, her butter yellow hair curled up and pinned in buns, long braids in the same color tied to them. Clearly it wasn’t her hair, as it fell all the way down her front and almost to her knees but she looked magical.

The trumpets sounded once more and the man playing the king held up his hands, gesturing for the crowd to be quiet.

All at once, silence fell across the arena and the little colorful flags lowered.

**Hark! My people, good people of my own**

**Tis been a thousand years since the first seed hath been sown**

**We celebrate this day, a thousand year journey**

**With a festival and of course, a tourney**

**Thirty-one souls, each one of them brave and strong**

**With their armor thick and their swinging swords long**

**Will fight the good fight as I do command**

**To win a great treasure and my fair daughter’s hand**

The king reached behind him as Naminé stepped forward and put her hand in his so he could raise it. The demure look on her face made half their friends laugh.

**From this day until seven from now, there will be challenge aplenty**

**And by tomorrow, the amount of knights will only be one-and-twenty**

**The singular brave knight who makes it to the end of this story**

**Shall be a true fighter, for truth, honor and glory**

Whether it was something the people knew or just enough to rile them up, the crowd burst into cheers, all of the flags waving in the air.

At the sides of the arena, two doors adjacent from one another opened slowly and the cheers only grew louder as a whole group of people filed into the arena. They all wore breastplates, covered by tunics in the same colors that hung on the walls and were being enthusiastically waved in the stands. They spread out amongst the arena grounds, brandishing wooden swords.

“Hey look!” Sora said and pointed at one of the knights. “He’s wearing our colors!”

“Then we should cheer for him!” Kairi called back over the noise of the crowd. “As loud as we can!”

Sora had never been one to pass up an opportunity to have fun, even if he had been denied it so often over the past few years. The fact that he could just sit here and cheer his heart out, like he was living in one of the adventurous tales of his youth made his heart sing.

“Yeah, come on, purple knight!” Sora yelled, waving his flag above his head.

**And now before we begin, there is one last thing for me to say**

**For your victory, myself and my daughter will pray**

**You however, lose the first once you’re back down in the muck**

**So I wish you good fortune and especially, good luck!**

Once the words had been said the trumpets sounded again, blasted three times. It seemed to set off the entire group of knights and the all darted around, like colorful bees.

Sora kept his eyes on the purple and gold knight, who spinned the wooden sword in his hand like he’d been doing it for years. The first other knight he encountered, wearing green and orange, went down so quick it was almost too quick. However, the purple and gold knight did it in such a way it was almost graceful and besides hitting the ground with an obvious thump, he didn’t seem to be hurt.

The purple and gold knight moved on the next, dodging and spinning around a knight in black and grey that tried to take him down. It was like watching a dance, the wooden sword swooping up and then back down, hitting arms and the backs of knees, one knight after the other falling to the ground.

The king had said that the round was over when twenty-one knights were left and so far there were five knights lying on the ground.

Every time the purple and gold knight dodged a hit or escaped being taken down, Sora and everyone else on the row cheered and waved their flags. It was excitement unlike Sora had felt in so long, excitement without danger, fun without the fear of it ending too soon.

With nine knights on the ground, the purple and gold knight went in and took down a knight in sky blue and silver, making it his fourth one to floor. Sora cheered so loud his throat started to hurt.

Loud trumpet sounds filled the arena again and all of the knights still standing lowered their swords. The crowd was going wild, cheering and shouting and waving their flags. Some of the knights in the arena held up their swords as a sign of victory.

The king came to the edge of the alcove again.

**My honor it is, to see you all standing**

**Your presences are all skillful, strong and demanding**

**For my people, for those who wave your colors and wish for your fame**

**You will remove your helm when I call out your name**

The king was given a list by Elcot, while Naminé stood silently smiling by his side. Sora grinned, she played the part of princess so well.

All of the names were unfamiliar to Sora but most of them were from Radiant Garden. He clapped for each and every one, because even though they didn’t wear the colors of his little flag, he was still happy they got through the first round.

**And last but not least, like a knight of yore**

**This valiant knight took down no less than four!**

The purple and gold knight stuck the wooden sword into the dirt and reached up to remove the metal helmet on his head. Through the deafening cheers of the people around him, even his friends, Sora’s heart stopped.

From underneath the helmet, a mop of silver hair and a familiar face appeared. He put the helmet underneath his arm and took the sword out of the dirt.

Both of Sora’s hands clenched around the flag when he lifted his sword and the crowd grew, if possible, even louder.

**He comes not from riverlands, desert kingdoms or highlands**

**Lift your voices dear people, for Sir Riku of Destiny Islands!**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You have no idea how much I dislike rhyming. 
> 
> This chapter was to get the ball rolling. Obviously Riku could have knocked the whole lot of them down in a heartbeat, but there's no fun in that is there. I think he'd enjoy just fighting for the heck of it and for fun, instead of doing it because the worlds are in danger. Plus, he'd make it look extra fancy too because he's extra like that. 
> 
> In the next chapter, look forward to a closer look at the rest of the festival and... Chocobos!
> 
> Hope you enjoyed!


	3. Faith

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Riku gears up to race a Chocobo and prove his knightly worth on the back of a mighty steed.
> 
> The importance of a knight having a favor is brought into a new light.

**The young man who travelled with the three knights had never travelled outside of him hometown before. He was in awe of the lands they travelled, the trees and mountains and rivers. When the knights asked him of a service, whether it was carrying their packs or building a fire, he did so readily and modestly.**

**The three knights rode mighty steeds, while the young man walked behind them. He did not mind, only admired the golden plumage and their ability to walk many miles while carrying packs, weapons and the knights on their backs.**

**In the night, the young man spoke to the mighty steeds while the knights slept, the fire having died down to embers.**

**I shall name you for my family, he said, my father, my mother and my brother. For you are all kind and hardworking and when I call you by their name I shall not miss them quite as much.**

**Within days they reached a wide river, the waters running fast.**

**The first knight crossed the river with little trouble, his own steed riding the current to the other side. The second knight crossed the river with slightly more trouble, and in the end he had to throw his pack off in order to make it.**

**The third was not so lucky. The water rushed around him and his mighty steed. Just as the young man walked into the water to try and swim to the other side - for he was a good swimmer and full of determination - the third knight was thrown from his steed by the current and he fell into the water.**

**With a shout, he fell and could barely keep himself afloat in his heavy armor. The young man swam as swiftly as he could and lifted himself onto that golden plumage he had admired from behind. He uncoiled a rope from its saddle and before the brave knight could washed away by the river the young man threw the rope to him.**

**Luckily, the knight caught the rope.**

**Do not let go! He cried. For in this armor, I will not make it to shore!**

**Have faith, my Lord, the young man replied. For upon this steed, I shall not let you go!**

**Together, they braved the current and made it to dry land.**

**The third knight thanked him sincerely, and when the young man made to climb down from the mighty steed the knight held his armored hand up high.**

**Nay, young man, the knight said. My faith in you has been rewarded with my own life. For that, I will not allow you to walk behind us, pray stay where you are.**

**The young man coiled his hands in the golden plumage and did not miss home as much as he had before.**

——

“Oh, well if it isn’t Sir Riku!”

Riku put one hand on his hip and sighed.

The Millennial Fair was on its second day and already the streets were lined with people, it was so busy. The western square was crammed with stalls, little wooden constructions with white linen rooftops. From each stall a plaque hung, depicting whatever the stall was selling or offering. Mugs for drinks, loaves of bread for food, swords for weapons and armor, beads and stars for accessories and even a Moogle for a synthesis stall. It appeared the entire city had come out to celebrate the Fair.

“Word travels fast, huh?” Riku asked.

Behind her stall, Tifa smiled. “Sure does,” she replied. “And we’re definitely rooting for you.” She pointed to a purple and gold flag hanging from the edge of her stall.

In the year Sora was gone, Riku had unwittingly gotten to know some of the residents of Radiant Garden. Yuffie, Aerith and Tifa had gone above and beyond to cheer him up, caring for him like three particularly nosy older sisters. He now knew how to correctly throw ninja stars and tie a dozen different kinds of knots, not to mention his sleight of hand. He could name almost two dozen different kinds of flowers, and which ones went together, and the three little potted plants on his windowsill in Twilight Town never failed to make him smile. He now had a favorite soda, a favorite dish to order and could defend himself in creative ways in case his Keyblade ever failed him.

“Thanks, Tifa,” Riku said. She gave him a kind smile while she set glasses down on the stall.

He watched as she greeted an elderly couple and poured them two glasses of cider, exchanging the money for their drinks. It was almost difficult to believe this soft spoken woman could pile drive a man through the floor but after seeing her lift a grown man over her head without breaking a sweat Riku wouldn’t dare think otherwise.

“So,” Tifa said, wiping her hands on a dishcloth and returning her attention to Riku. “What brave feats will you be performing today? I heard you made quite the first impression in the melee.”

Riku shrugged and ducked his head. “Uh, yeah, it went alright,” he replied. It went better than alright. After the competition people had come up to Riku to pat his shoulder and shake his hand. The validation had felt nice, but the attention had been a little overwhelming.

And the wide eyed look that Sora gave him kept him staring at the ceiling for an hour or two the night before in bed.

“I managed to find one extra box of mugs,” A voice interrupted them. “They’re mismatched, chipped and I think some of them need to be scrubbed clean but a mug’s a mug! Hey, Riku!”

Riku turned to Aerith and found himself wrapped in an enthusiastic hug. “Hey, Aerith,” he greeted her. “I like your dress.”

She gave a spin, her floral dress a whirl of color around her legs. “Thanks!” She said, arms held wide open. “Got it especially for the Fair. Oh! I have something for you.”

Aerith rummaged around in her bag and pulled out what seemed to be the biggest flower corsage Riku had ever seen.

“Oh, those are lovely,” Tifa said as she looked up from the box of aforementioned mugs. “I love the colors.”

“Irises, heliotropes, lilacs and lavender,” Aerith explained, pointing to each of the different purple flowers. “And dahlias, acacia and one very happy daffodil,” she said, pointing to the yellow ones. “For our purple and gold knight!”

Riku looked a little taken aback. The large corsage was beautiful and expertly arranged but he wasn’t quite sure what to do with it.

“For on top of your banner!” She explained, one hand on her hip. “Honestly, _men_.”

Tifa nodded sagely.

“Has anyone given you a favor yet?” Tifa asked with a grin and raised eyebrow.

Riku knew the concept of favors. He’d read enough adventure books with knights and princesses to know the concept of favors. The image of a flash of silver around someone’s neck came to mind but he pushed the thought away as quickly as it came.

“Uh, not yet,” Riku said. “I don’t really need one, do I?”

Needing one wasn’t the same as wanting one, but he’d been doing his level best to not want things lately.

Both Tifa and Aerith looked appalled.

“You’re a knight!” Aerith cried out. “You need a favor! Especially with the obstacle course tomorrow. Oh to think, rushing out on that Chocobo, riding faster than the wind… without a favor from someone you care about.” She put a hand on her forehead dramatically. “Perish the thought!”

Tifa giggled at her friend’s antics. “Seriously, Riku, it’s a part of the whole thing… it doesn’t need to be much. Something small like a ribbon or handkerchief.”

She turned away to help her customers and Riku noticed how the streets were becoming even more busy. With a look at the clock that towered out above the squares, he decided it was time to head the tourney grounds.

“I’ll be the first knight to win without a favor,” Riku said, smiling wide. “I won’t let you down!”

Aerith looked like she was about to protest profusely, but instead she blew a raspberry and then smiled. She held the corsage out to him. “Put this on top of your banner and when you look at it, know that we’re rooting for you. And we’ll definitely come watch!”

Riku took the corsage in his hands and tried not to grip it too tight. It was fasted delicately but sturdily with twine, arranged in such a way it could fasted to something.

“Thanks, both of you,” he said. “If I see you in the crowd, I’ll wave.”

Aerith and Tifa shared a look. Aerith held out a hand and Tifa gripped it tightly.

“Oh, lady Tifa,” Aerith said. “To be noticed by the great Sir Riku, what greater honor is there?”

Tifa put a hand on her chest and sighed. “Truly none, lady Aerith, truly none.”

There was a moment of silence before they let go of each other’s hands and they all burst into laughter. Riku basked in the moment, already feeling less tense than he had when he began his walk to the tourney grounds.

“See you later,” Riku bid them goodbye.

Tifa waved at him.

“Bye, Riku!” Aerith replied as he walked away. “Please, don’t break a leg!”

He turned and held up the corsage. “I won’t!”

——

Ventus spent all night tossing and turning.

Sure, Riku had done great in the first round and he really seemed like he was totally on board with participating in the tourney but still, Ventus felt as though he had pressure Riku into it. Riku was his friend and for all his time in Sora’s heart, it felt as if they had been friends for years and years.

Even when Riku was lost, Ventus was just as sure as Sora that Riku would find his way back to the light. Riku was full of more light than he would admit. Mostly, he focused on the darkness inside him, but the strong connection Ventus felt towards him didn’t connect to the darkness.

“If you wring your hands any tighter, they’re gonna fall off,” Roxas said to Ventus.

Since yesterday, Roxas had stuck by Ventus’ side, only leaving on occasion to spend time with Xion or Lea. Maybe he felt just as responsible as Ventus did, albeit it in a much less obvious way.

“I just hope Riku is having a good time,” Ventus said, looking out over the tourney grounds, awaiting Riku’s arrival. “I mean, I know he likes this sort of thing…”

“Likes it?” Roxas says, incredulous. “Have you met him? Have you actually _met_ him? The caring, big brother thing is just a front. Underneath that soft spoken, sensible nature there’s a competitive, hopeless romantic waiting to burst out.”

Ventus grinned at Roxas. “I know,” he said. “But I know Riku doesn’t always do what he wants.”

“Trust me,” Roxas replied and raised a hand at someone in the distance. “There’s nothing about this situation that he doesn’t want.”

Soon enough, Riku joined them.

“What are those?” Ventus asked, gesturing at the flower corsage in Riku’s hand.

He held it up and smiled. “Aerith made it for me,” he said. “To put on top of my banner. Nobody tell the good fairies about all this, or my next set of clothes will definitely be purple and gold.”

The clothes he wore then were now fully in style with the rest of the Millennial Fair. From the sturdy dark grey pants and boots, to the linen shirt tucked into said pants, just wide enough at the color to make him look not too proper. There were leather straps, like suspenders, that criss-crossed his chest and back to attach his armor to.

It was almost a shame he’d kept his hair short, a low ponytail would have made him a picture perfect knight.

“Here, I’ll take that,” Ventus said and held his hands out for the flowers. “I can put it up on your banner when we swing by your tent.”

“Who got you the new threads?” Roxas asked. “Wait, let me guess… Naminé?”

Riku shrugged. “Who else?”

Ventus grinned and Roxas shook his head. “She scares me a little sometimes,” he said. “It’s like she can be in six places at once.”

“One day we’re gonna find out she can,” Riku said. “And she’ll make us sorry for finding out her secret.”

Ventus held up one hand with excitement. “Come on, we have to get ready for the next task!”

Riku and Roxas nodded and followed Ventus.

——

Large, yellow birds were not what Riku was expecting when he walked into the stables at the edge of the tourney grounds.

He knew of Chocobos, had seen pictures of them. But seeing them up close was something to behold. They were bigger than Riku had imagined them, large enough and then some to carry a grown man or woman. There were a few people milling about the stables, some of them Riku recognised as competitors in the tourney, some of them who seemed to be caretakers of the Chocobos.

A small woman with two long, black braids walked up to them.

“Are you… Riku?” She asked. “That is, is one of you Riku?”

Riku held up his hand. “I am,” he said, feeling a little bashful even though she barely came up to his chest. “I’m Riku.”

“Nice to meet you!” She said and held out a hand. Her face was round and bright and her smile was infectious. The sturdy overalls she wore were covered in this and that, including a few stray golden feathers stuck in the fabric. “My name’s Cora. Chocobo Cora!”

Ventus was the first to speak up after a moment of awkward silence. “Uh, hi, Chocobo Cora!”

She shook her head and giggled. “Just Cora is fine,” she said. “I’m here to tell you how to ride a Chocobo. You have done it before, right?”

A momentary feeling of panic shot through Riku which he tempered quickly. He’d faced literal monsters, he could handle riding a giant bird.

“Uh, no,” he said. “First time.”

Cora waved for them to follow her. “Well, there’s one for everything!” She said and lead them down the rows of Chocobos in pens. They differed in shapes and sizes, even shades of yellow and gold. Most of them seemed quite tame and relaxed, and the low chirping sound they made sounded almost cute compared to how big they were.

They stopped at a pen. “This is your Chocobo,” Cora said and gestured at the Chocobo in the pen. It was chewing happily on what seemed to be some kind of greens. It’s big black eyes passed across all of them with a mild disinterest that Riku wasn’t sure made him feel more nervous or more relaxed.

“He’s uh,” Riku started but Cora interrupted him.

“She!” Cora said. “Buttercup’s a lady.” Roxas snickered behind him. Cora didn’t seem to pay him any mind. “She’s one of the youngest, but she’s very well trained.”

Cora stepped into Buttercup’s pen and gave her a stroke on her golden feathers. The light trilling warble that Buttercup made was endearing despite how intimidated Riku was. The longer he stood in front of her, the more relaxed he felt, until his brain told him he would have to ride her.

“She’ll have a saddle and reigns,” Cora began to explain. “It’s fairly simple. Give her a little nudge, not too hard please, in her belly with either one of your feet to get her walking. Give her a little nudge with both feet to get her to run.”

She held the reigns up in both hands and Buttercup gave an excited little shake which made Cora giggle. “She loves going for rides, so you’re in luck!” She said. “You hold the reigns in both hands. Pull on the right to make her go right, pull on the left to make her go left. Use both hands to get her to slow down or stop. If you pull back slow, she’ll slow down, if you give them a tug towards you, she’ll stop.”

Riku had a pensive look on his face like he was doing hard math in his head. Roxas gave him a playful smack on the arm.

“You’ll be fine!” Roxas said. “You look like you’re gonna faint.”

Riku turned to him and felt a little light headed. He wasn’t even sure why, he’d done much scarier things than this before.

Ventus put his hand on Riku’s arm. “Don’t worry, Riku,” he said. “Buttercup seems really sweet. I bet you two will get along great. Besides, you’re such a natural at well… everything!”

Somehow Riku managed a nervous smile to direct at Ventus. When Roxas snorted again, Riku gave him a smack back, which only made Roxas laugh louder. Cora came out of the pen, her face still bright and not at all perturbed by how nervous Riku seemed.

“Your friend’s right,” Cora said. “She’s a real sweetheart, a real beginner’s friendly Chocobo.” She held the little door to Buttercup’s pen open. “You can spend a little time with her if you want, get used to her. If you give her some Ghysal greens,” Cora pointed to the little rack of leafy vegetables in a bucket outside her pen. “She’ll love you forever.”

Because Riku had never been one to back away from a challenge, he stepped into the pen as Cora stepped out. She pulled the little door shut behind him.

“If you need anything,” she said. “I’ll be at the front of the stables, just let me know!”

All three of them watched her go.

Roxas shoved his hands in his pockets. “So, what’s the challenge this time?”

Before Riku could pull the piece of parchment he’d been given the day before out of his pocket, Buttercup leaned down and gave him a little nudge with her head. It startled him but once he made eye contact with her big black eyes, he felt slightly more at ease.

“Think she wants something,” Roxas said with a smirk. He leaned down and picked up the bucket of greens. Riku gave him a look and reached in the bucket to grab some. Buttercap gave another enthusiastic wark and ate gently from Riku’s hand when he offered them to her.

Riku handed the piece of paper to Ventus. “Here, Ven,” he said, still feeding Buttercup with one hand. “You read it.”

Ventus took the paper and unfolded it. “Okay, let’s see,” he said. “Day two, Chocobo racing. It says here you have to ride around the track on the back of a Chocobo and, without falling off, hit as many targets with your sword as you can, as quick as you can. The knight with the best time and targets hit wins the most points.” He folded it up and handed it back to Riku.

All of the greens had disappeared from Riku’s hand and were now being happily munch on in Buttercup’s beak, who did seem to have a fondness for Riku already, nudging him occasionally with her head while she ate.

“No problem for you, right?” Roxas asked.

Only half listening, Riku reached up one hand and ran it over Buttercup’s golden plumage. It was both smooth and soft, and he could feel it probably wouldn’t be pleasant for her to rub both ways, so he diligently moved his hand back to its original spot each time.

“Yeah, I guess,” Riku replied.

Ventus and Roxas shared a look before Roxas shrugged.

“Anyway, looks like all you have to do is bond with your mighty steed until it’s time,” Roxas said. “I promised Xion we’d take a look at all the stalls.” He pointed at Riku. “Be on time at your tent, or else.”

As he walked away Riku suddenly remember who he was speaking to. “What are you, my squire?” He shouted at Roxas with a smirk.

Roxas only raised his hand in a rude gesture, without looking back. “You wish!”

With only Ventus left to keep him company, Riku willed himself to relax a little more next to Buttercup. Up close she wasn’t quite as intimidating, not now that he’d looked her in the eye and fed her and felt her soft feathers. Her belly rose and fall with her breathing and sometimes her feet would kick up in the hay below. She looked ready to go for a racer right then and there, whether Riku was ready for it or not.

“I said I’d meet up with Vanitas,” Ventus said, looking a little pained. “You don’t mind, do you, Riku?”

Riku shook his head. “Nah, Ven,” he replied. “I’ll be okay. I’ve got Buttercup here to keep me company. I don’t really like crowds anyway.”

The relief on Ventus’ face was palpable and he broke out into a huge smile.

“Okay, well then I’ll see you at your tent!” He said. “And I don’t mind being your squire, Riku.” His face turned suddenly very serious. “It’s a great honor, to squire for a noble knight.”

It was all Riku could do not to point out that Riku wasn’t an actual knight, or terribly noble at that.

“Thanks, Ven,” Riku said instead, because that happy face was just like Sora’s and he’d never been able to disappoint that face. “Say hi to Vanitas for me.”

Ventus waved and shouted out an affirmative as he left the stables.

And then it was just Riku and Buttercup, who didn’t seem to mind in the slightest that she had to share her space with him. In fact, she seemed to move around him, nudging him sometimes or warking happily when he found a nice spot to stroke.

“You’re a pretty girl, aren’t you,” Riku said, admiring the vibrant color of her plumage. “Hope I do a good job, even though you have to do most of the work. We’ll make a good team, won’t we?” As if Buttercup could understand him, she warbled back to him.

“Bet you I could tell you all my secrets, and you’d never say a word,” Riku said, not even feeling foolish for insinuating a Chocobo could talk, whether it knew someone’s secrets or not. “You wouldn’t look at me differently.”

“What secrets?”

The voice, familiar as it was, came out of nowhere and Riku startled so bad Buttercup gave a little shake.

Riku turned and there was Sora, looking confused.

“Sora, hey,” Riku said. “Uh, hi. I was uh, getting to know her.”

Sora grinned wide. “Telling her all your secrets, huh?” He asked. “Didn’t know you had any secrets!”

His stomach sank and Riku felt the sudden urge to stand closer to Buttercup, as if she could protect him. “I don’t,” he said. “Not anymore.”

——

_“A trade!”_

_“A trade for what?”_

_“A trade for your precious person!”_

_“Just tell me what you want, and you let him go and give him back all his memories.”_

_“You’re not really a fun negotiator.”_

_“…”_

_“Fine, you win! Or… we’ll have to see. You give me something and I’ll give Sora back his memories.”_

_“Riku, don’t give him anything!”_

_“Tell me what you want.”_

_“I want… your deepest, darkest secret. I want the secret you’ve kept for years, the one that keeps you awake at night, that makes you stare at the walls and wonder if you could have it, the one that burns you from the inside out because you want to say it more than anything, but you know if you do you may lose what’s most precious to you.”_

_“What does he mean, Riku?”_

_“I don’t know.”_

_“Yes, you do.”_

——

The air between them became tense and Riku hated himself just a little for ruining what seemed to be an entirely normal interaction, like they were just friends and there was nothing awkward between them.

“Sora, I…” he began to explain.

Sora however, seemed to regroup and waved his hands.

“I should mind my own business!” He said. “This is between you and… uh, what’s his name?”

“Her,” Riku replied. “Her name’s Buttercup.”

If things were awkward before, Sora seemed to be doing his level best for them not to be awkward anymore. He reached over the pen and held out his hand for Buttercup to sniff. She did and then leaned into his hand so he could stroke her head.

“Hi, Buttercup!” Sora said, looking pleased. “Are you going to be Riku’s mighty steed?”

Again, Riku wondered if Chocobos could actually understand human speech, because Buttercup gave a little enthusiastic jig at the question, as if saying yes, yes I am going to be the mightiest of steeds.

“She’s great, Riku,” Sora said. He leaned against the pen for a moment before he opened the little door and stepped inside.

It had been ages since they’d stood so close. Riku was suddenly overwhelmed with the feeling of how much he’d missed it, being so close to his best friend. How blue Sora’s eyes were, how many freckles dotted his nose. He wore clothes that fit into the whole theme of the Millennial Fair, clothes a lot like Riku’s, only he wore a hooded vest with little Keyblades embroidered into it. Naminé must have used them all as guinea pigs to test her clothes making magic.

He looked like a prince, small and strong and Riku loved him more than anything in the world.

Sometimes he wished he could stop, but he always regretted feeling like that. No matter what had happened between them, no matter how awkward things were, loving Sora had been one of the best parts of his life, it had brought him back from a lonely, dangerous place

He wasn’t going to wish the best part of him was gone, just so he wouldn’t be sad.

Sora interrupted his train of thought by reaching up behind his neck.

“I think we read about a hundred different books when we were kids,” Sora said. “About knights and tourneys and jousting and all that. And in almost all of them, the knight had a favor. You know, something to take with them to bring them luck.”

What Sora did next took Riku’s breath away.

He unfastened the silver crown necklace and let it slide into one hand.

Sora held it out to him and everything inside him went quiet.

“You should take this,” Sora said, offering the necklace to Riku. “Otherwise, something might happen and I won’t be there to help you.” Riku grinned at the prospect of something happening in the arena, as if Sora wouldn’t be the first to dive in to help. “I don’t know what you did to make this work,” he said and nudged the necklace towards Riku, who did not reach out to take it. “But it’s magic. No matter in how much trouble I get, you’re always there to get me out. You must’ve cast a spell on it before you gave it to me.”

It’s love, Riku wants to say. It’s the only thing I’ve ever wanted to give you and that necklace is the only time I got it right.

“Sora,” Riku said and reached over to fold Sora’s hand back over the necklace. “No.”

Sora’s face fell in an instant and Riku saw his hand clench around the necklace.

“I know things haven’t been the same, but I…” Sora said, his voice shaking a little. “I’m trying, Riku. I just don’t know how…”

Riku took a deep breath and then smiled.

“Hey, that’s not what I meant,” Riku said. “I gave that necklace to you to protect you. If you take it off, the magic won’t work. What did I say all those years ago when I gave it to you?”

Sora opened his hand and looked down at the necklace. “Don’t take it off.”

“Don’t take it off,” Riku repeated. He took the necklace from Sora’s hand and reached up with both hands to fasten it around Sora’s neck. If they were close before, they were even closer now, so close Riku could hear Sora breathing, smell his soap and clothes, feel the warmth that radiated off his skin. He heard the click of the chain and stepped back, arranging the silver crown so it sat between Sora’s collarbones where it belonged.

“But, that doesn’t mean I don’t want your favor,” Riku said, feeling brave. “But you can get me something else.”

“Like what?” Sora asked, his blue eyes wide.

Riku looked up at the ceiling of the stables as if he was thinking hard “Hmm, you’ll think of something,” he said. “I know you will.”

For a moment, something settled between them. Sora said nothing and neither did Riku. Even though there were warking Chocobos and working stablehands and people milling about the stables, there was a strange quiet between them. As if something had shifted in those few minutes since Sora had offered his necklace.

Sora broke that energy when held up two fists in determination and grinned. “Okay, I will!”

“You want to feed Buttercup some?” Riku asked and grinned when Sora almost tripped over himself to do so.

Maybe Chocobos couldn’t understand human words, but maybe they could understand human feelings, because Buttercup turned her big black gaze on Riku and for the first time in a while, he felt understood.

——

“This is how I die, this is how I die…”

Roxas handed Riku his sword, right outside the tent. Every so often there were loud cheers from the stands lining the racing route. There were still one more racer before it was Riku’s turn. So far, only two knights had come back looking mildly injured, one with a sprained ankle from falling and the other with a black eye from hitting himself in the face with his wooden sword.

Riku may have grinned if he didn’t feel like the world was about to end.

Buttercup, all trussed up in her fancy saddle and reigns with Riku’s colors on the side saddle, looked like she wanted to go straight away. The gold and purple of Riku’s color meshed well with her golden coat.

“I always knew you were one of the most dramatic people I’ve ever met,” Roxas said. “But this is bringing out a brand new, dramatic color in you.”

“She’s so pretty!” Kairi called out from Buttercup’s side. “But we have to go find our seats or we’ll miss Riku winning the race.”

No pressure, Riku thought, just try not to fall off and break my neck.

Riku walked up to Buttercup and took her reigns in one hand. “Alright, you better cheer hard for me, even if I fall on my ass.”

“Oh, we’ll cheer extra hard for you if you fall on your ass,” Roxas said. “Come on, you guys.”

Kairi, Roxas and Ventus left Riku where he stood with Buttercup, laughing and talking as they made their way to the stands.

Riku sighed and looked at Buttercup, who gave him an overenthusiastic nudge that almost knocked him over. “Yeah okay, girl, let’s do this,” he said and gave her reigns a little tug. “We can do this.”

The entryway to the race was a large wooden gate that would open when it was his turn.

And seeing as how there were no other knights waiting at the gate, it appeared to be his turn. Riku put one foot in the stirrup hanging from the saddle and lifted himself up, very glad he was tall enough to get on relatively easy.

One of the attendants came over to him and took Buttercup’s reigns by her head and guided them towards the gate.

In order to cope with his nerves, Riku had spent the few hours up until the race convincing himself it probably wouldn’t be much different than riding his motorcycle, the one he had learned to transform from his Keyblade. He liked the speed, he liked the racing but once he was on Buttercup’s back it was very apparent it was nothing like riding a motorcycle.

He could feel Buttercup breathing, was fully aware that unlike a motorcycle, what he was riding was very much alive.

“You ready?” The attendant asked and Riku decided no, he wasn’t, but he really had no choice. “You can go when on the third trumpet sound.”

Riku nodded and the gate opened.

The same horns as the day before sounded out as he and Buttercup entered the racing grounds. There was a little arch that denoted where the race began and the walked up to that, the crowds cheering loudly around them. He gave a slight tug with both hands and Buttercup stopped neatly right before the arch.

The stands were a wash with happy face, shouting and singing, colorful flags and waving handkerchiefs. It appeared the tourney really was the highlight of the Fair, because it seemed like the entire city had turned up to watch all twenty-one knights race.

_Our final racer, from an island he comes_

_The brave sir Riku, watch close as he runs_

Riku grinned at the almost rhyme.

_Fast as the wind, full of bravery and might_

_We wish good fortune, to our silver-haired knight!_

The trumpet sounded once, and Riku felt Buttercup tense up like she knew what was about to happen. Riku grabbed her reigns a little tighter and put his feet near her belly, drawing his wooden sword in one hand. It made the crowds cheer even louder.

The trumpet sounded twice, and for just a second, Riku wondered if he should have taken Sora’s necklace, even if it was just to keep him alive.

The trumpet sounded three times and as if on instinct, he gently dug his heels into Buttercup’s belly and they shot off like a rocket.

All of the people in the stands were a blur as they sped along the route. Riku held on to Buttercup’s reigns tightly as she ran, faster than he thought she would be able to.

It may not have been like riding a motorcycle, but once he’d found his balance, all the fear made way for adrenaline. It was clear of the two of them, that Buttercup was the one who knew what she was doing as she sped down the path.

In the distance, the first dummy appeared, a red ball on its torso to indicate a head. Riku pulled on the reigns to make sure Buttercup would get him close enough and as it came towards them, wind rushing through Riku’s hair and Buttercup’s feathers, Riku reached out with his sword and with one hard stroke, knocked the red ball clear off the shoulders of the dummy.

The people in the stands nearby stood and cheered and waved, some of them shouting his name.

The adrenaline in his body grew and Riku let Buttercup race them down the route, knocking heads off dummies as they went, each time he managed it he got more excited, pulling on Buttercup’s reigns to steer her in the right direction.

The one time he missed he shouted and the crowd made a distinctive disappointed sound before going straight back to cheering.

As the end of the route came close, a blur of trees and people and the dusty road they were racing down, Riku suddenly felt an urge.

Sora had offered one of his most prized possessions to him. Because he wanted to be supportive of Riku, even though they had such a hard time connecting at the moment. Something so important demanded an equally important feat, and with renewed energy that ran through his entire body Riku swung his sword so hard the red ball not only flew off, landing in the stands nearby, but the torso was wiped clean off the large pole it was situated on.

The crowds went absolutely wild.

“Come on, girl, we can do this!” He shouted and Buttercup warked loudly back at him, going into an extra hard sprint as they neared the finish line.

In aburst of loud cheers and waving flags, they crossed the finish line and arrived back at the starting point of the race.

Riku remembered to pull back on Buttercup’s reigns and she slowed down until she came to a stop, high stands full of people surrounding him. Above them, in the wooden alcove from yesterday, the king, Ector and Naminé stood. The look on Naminé’s face borderlined on smug as she clapped demurely.

“What a race!” The announced cried through his megaphone.

Riku looked around him, breathing heavily, his whole body burning with adrenaline.

“Sir Riku, of Destiny Islands!” The announcer shouted. “With a record breaking time!”

People all around them cheered so loud it was almost deafening. Riku couldn’t help the huge smile on his face and held up his wooden sword, which looked a little dinged from how hard he had knocked the heads off of the dummies.

But once his sword went up in the air, so did Buttercup, warking loud.

And off went Riku, flat on his back into the dirt. It knocked the wind out of him, but Riku was too full of euphoria to care. He stood up and grinned.

“You did that on purpose,” he said to Buttercup as the people around them cheered and laughed. He grabbed her reigns and pulled her close. She nudged her face into his and he laughed and laughed, sword held high in the air.

As he watched all of the faces around them, his eyes fell suddenly on where his friends sat, waving their little purple and gold flags with gusto, shouting his name to a point that it would’ve been embarrassing had he not been on such a high. He pointed his sword at them and laughed when Kairi and Xion pretended to swoon.

Sora looked at him the same way he did when he offered him his necklace.

Once their eyes locked, Riku couldn’t look away and neither it seemed, could Sora.

——

“… If I have to pour one more cup of cider,” Aerith complained, her feet on the table. “My hands will fall off.”

Tifa laughed from behind the bar. “I was about to say I should’ve asked Yuffie, but you’re both a bag of lazy bones.”

Aerith made a dramatic noise. “Tifa, have mercy…. I worked so hard!” She moaned. “It’s not our fault we don’t have your amazing work ethic. I’m just a humble flower girl… you’re the hardworking, buxom barmaid that can draw a pint in ten seconds flat.”

Tifa walked past her and gave her a pat on the head. “Silly,” she said. “I’ll get you a cherry soda. Get your feet off my table.”

With a grin, Aerith pulled her feet off the table. “You’re my favorite.”

Just before Tifa could give a smart reply, the door of the bar burst open. “Sorry, but we’re closed… Sora?”

In the doorway, a harried looking Sora stood, out of breath and face red. He just stood there for a few seconds, breathing heavily as if he’d run a lap around the city a dozen times.

“Sora, is everything okay?” Aerith asked, turning in her seat.

Sora nodded and then hung his head. “I need your help,” he said.

Tifa shrugged and smiled at him. “Sure thing, what can we do to help?”

The door of the bar shut loudly behind him when he walked up to the two women, a hint of desperation in his gaze.

“I need to make someone a favor.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's the second task down! And of course, Riku is doing very well. Not all the chapters are going to be just Riku doing tasks, things are going to happen to mix it up because they'll all be ready to face it head one. Chocobos, after Moogles, are my absolute favourite Final Fantasy creatures so I had to put them in here. Introducing Buttercup! Who will definitely be showing up more than once in this story.
> 
> Sora is very, very slowly starting to get it. Riku is still very, very hopelessly in love with his best friend.
> 
> I hope very much that you enjoyed and look forward to the next chapter, hopefully next week. It's very hot where I am right now, so writing is a little slow going at the moment.


	4. Generosity

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Riku has already had to face many obstacles, but today, he gets to do with honor and true love on his side.

**As the knights and the young man made their way across the land in order to find and save the princess, they stumbled upon a village. The people who lived there had little to give but invited them into their homes nevertheless.**

**We have never had such honored guests, the townspeople said. For all those who travel pass us by. We have nothing much to give, alas.**

**One of the knights held out his hand, his splendid armor shimmering in the sunlight.**

**Good people, he asked. Do you have fresh water? For we have wandered far from whence we came and are thirsty.**

**Oh yes, the townspeople said, water we have aplenty. Not far from here is a river, the current is soft and the water is clear and cold. You will find it most refreshing.**

**Good people, asked another knight, his brilliantly woven cape a rainbow. Do you have space for us to sleep, with a sound roof over our heads?**

**Oh yes, the townspeople said, but you will have to sleep on the ground. But we have our homes, with sturdy roofs that keep the rain and cold away.**

**Good people, asked the third knight, his banner waving in the breeze proudly. Do you have any good tales to tell, as we sit together in your warm homes?**

**Oh yes, the townspeople said, for we have lived here long and peacefully. But unfortunately, long with a little food, this is all that we give you. We have no wealth of our own, let alone to share with your honorable selves.**

**The young man looked at his companions and understood the lesson they were teaching.**

**With water to drink, a warm home to live in, food to eat and good story to tell, you may very well be the wealthiest people to ever live, the young man said. The knights nodded at him, that he understood their lesson. The townspeople were humbled and invited them into their homes.**

**They ate, drank and slept well.**

**Before they left, one of the townpeople came up to the young man.**

**Sorry, she said, but I dare not give it to one of your noble companions. But take this, I beg you, so that you may remember us on your journey and know that when you return, you will always be welcome to stay with us.**

**The young man took the handkerchief the townsperson offered him and tucked it into his tunic.**

**Already your generosity knows no bounds, he said. And now I shall never have to forget it.**

**He lay his hand where it sat and turned to leave.**

——

“I need to make someone a favor.”

The two women looked at Sora, then looked at each other and then looked back at Sora again.

“This ah,” Aerith began. “Wouldn’t have anything to do with the tourney?”

Tifa rolled her eyes at her friend’s lightly teasing tone and went behind the bar to get Aerith the soda she promised her. Sora nodded vigorously and held his hands out at them.

“I need help!” He said. “I offered something but Riku wouldn’t accept it.”

As Tifa poured the soda, in two glasses instead of one, her brow creased. “You offered Riku a favor and he turned it down? Can’t imagine that… what did you try to give him?”

Riku’s ardent affection for his best friend wasn’t the best kept secret in town, but both Tifa and Aerith had done their level best while Sora had been away to support him, while others tended to tiptoe a little around him. Neither of them blamed others, Riku had proved himself to the sort of person who preferred to take on his problems alone.

Sora reached up and grabbed the silver crown necklace resting on his collar. He held it out to them. “This! He gave it to me ages ago,” Sora explained and both women nodded with surprised expressions. “Long story but…”

“Tell us!” Aerith burst out. “Long stories are the best… please tell us! We’ll absolutely help you with a favor.”

Tifa walked across the bar with the two sodas in her hand and set them down on the table. “Have a seat, Sora,” she said. “You look like you’re going to pass out.”

Sora did as he was told and sat down at the table. When Tifa pushed the soda in his direction as a subtle hint that it was his to drink, he wrapped his hands around it and gulped half of it down at lightening speed.

“I swear, you two could be related,” Tifa mumbled to Aerith, who just giggled and took a large sip of her own soda.

They gave him a moment to collect himself before leaning towards him. Sora sighed.

“Okay, fine,” he said. “When we were little there was this meteor shower, actually it was the meteor shower that brought Kairi to us, and Riku and I went to watch it.” The past few days he often thought back on that memory, which felt like a lifetime ago. “I was trying to be tough but there were so many of them and I was really afraid one of them was going to hit us. Riku turned to me and gave me his hand to hold. We held hands a lot back then.”

Aerith and Tifa share another look, eyes going soft.

“We had these little wooden swords we would play with, and even back then I thought Riku was the greatest, strongest, bravest person in the world… but then he pulled this necklace out of his pocket and gave it to me.” Sora seemed to be off in another world, his eyes looking past the two women as he recounted his memory. “He held up his sword to the sky, it was raining meteors at that point, and he said ‘don’t worry Sora, I’ll protect you! I’ll protect you from anything!’ and ever since then I haven’t taken it off.”

The only sound in the bar was the gentle sound of a clock ticking, and the noise of people passing by outside. As if under a spell, the three of them sat at that table, visualising and remembering.

Sora laughed sheepishly, shaking his head as if awakening from a trance. “Anyway, I guess it’s worked because he’s always protected me, even when he was a little lost in darkness himself… I just wanted to return the favor.”

“Literally,” Aerith said, her eyes even softer. “That’s such a lovely story, Sora. I had no idea you and Riku have been friends for so long.”

“I don’t know why he entered the tourney,” Sora said. “We don’t talk like we used to. It’s my fault… I know that.” His bright face went sad suddenly, and both women sat up straight.

Tifa reached over and patted his hand. “I don’t think that’s true,” she said and it drew a tiny smile from him. “Sometimes when we grow up, we realise things change, even friendships. I don’t know what happened between you two, but I know Riku cares about you more than he cares about anyone and he’d never blame you for anything.”

The words seemed to send a rush of emotion through Sora, whose face flushed and his eyes shone a bit. “I know that,” he said. “But it’s still my fault… I took him for granted. Even back when all this started, he was only acting the way he was because he was hurt. And I didn’t even notice. He must have been so lonely.”

Both Tifa and Aerith thought of a memory of their own, a shared one, of Riku sitting in the bar to take a rare moment of rest, but still always looking out the window as if looking hard enough would make Sora magically appear there.

“I’m going to make it up to him,” Sora said and they both smiled at him. “I don’t know how to say how I feel, because I don’t know what I feel… but I do know that I want Riku to be happy. And I want him to win the tourney! But he needs a favor, because all knights get favors from the people who care about them.”

It was no wonder to either of them, that Riku cared for Sora so much. He really was a pure hearted as they came.

“Don’t worry, Sora,” Tifa said. “We’ll help you with a favor.”

Sora gasped. “Really?”

Aerith nodded. “It has to be something he can take with him, that won’t get in the way,” she said. “But that he can see when he needs to.” She hummed and looked around the bar. There was nothing in the way of anything to be used as a favor. Tifa kept the bar tidy.

“How about a ribbon?” Tifa offered.

Aerith scrunched her nose. “I mean… I guess,” she said. For someone with a hair full of ribbons, she was surprisingly unimpressed with the idea. “Oh! I know!”

She stuck her hand in the pocket of her dress, rummaging around as if were three feet deep until she gave a cry of triumph. “Here!” She pulled out a pristine, white handkerchief.

Tifa and Sora looked at it.

“A… napkin?” Sora asked, his brow furrowed.

Aerith reached over and gave him a nudge. “A handkerchief,” she explained. “Honestly… _men_.”

“We could embroider something on it, to represent Riku,” Tifa said. “I think I have some thread in the back in his colors too!”

“I uh,” Sora said. “Don’t really know how to embroider.”

Tifa stood and walked across the bar and into the back to get the thread. Aerith reached over and put a hand on his shoulder. “Which is a good thing that you came to us for help!”

——

Riku woke to the sound of heavy breathing and a low voice.

It wasn’t the first time he’d woken to the sound but it still made him sad. From the other side of the room, he could hear Terra’s breathing, struggling to calm himself after waking from a nightmare and Aqua’s low, gentle voice trying to soothe him.

“… feeling better?” Aqua asked, low enough for it to almost be a whisper.

Terra gave a shaky sigh before speaking. “Yeah, sorry…” he said.

“Don’t,” Aqua said, voice firm but soft. For some reason, it made something inside Riku ache.

He knew all too well how it felt to wake up from nightmares. He had them all the time. Nightmares about failure, about weakness, about rejection, there was a roulette of them that his mind like to bring out at random times.

Whenever he woke up, breathing heavily or sweating or even shouting, there was no one there to put their hand on his back and tell him that it wasn’t real. That he hadn’t failed and he wasn’t weak and that he was wanted.

For so long Riku could pretend he didn’t need that, but it had been too long now, and it had crept up on him.

He shut his eyes for a little while, a little comforted by the sound of Terra falling back asleep and then Aqua returning to her own bed. She probably knew he was awake, she was one of the most astute people he had ever met, and there was little to get past her.

But she said nothing and the room fell quiet enough to lull Riku back into sleep for a little while.

An hour later, Riku woke again with a drowsy head.

He almost regretted going back to sleep, but he sat up and willed it away, moving his head back and forth to remove the stiffness of sleep from his body. Today was the third day of the tourney, and that meant he had to be awake and alert.

Without waking the others, he dressed and walked down the hall of the castle. On his way out, he ran into Naminé and Lea. Naminé wasn’t wearing her tourney dress yet, but her hair had already been done up in delicate braids that framed her face nicely.

“Good morning, Riku,” she said, looking fresh as if she had already been up for hours, despite the early time. “Did you sleep well?”

“He better have!” Lea said, patting Riku hard on the back when he joined them. Riku felt his breath knocked out of him and grinned. “Two wins in a row! Time for a lucky three.”

Riku nodded. “It’s the obstacle course today, so it shouldn’t be too much trouble,” he said. “At least, I hope not. It can’t be much worse than riding a Chocobo.”

Lea laughed loudly. “You were a natural, man! Half the crowd was in love with you by the end of it,” he said while waggling his eyebrows.

It occurred to Riku that Lea was wearing different clothes, dark brown leather pants, tall boots, a poet’s blouse that was open just a smidge too low which made Riku roll his eyes a bit, and a brown leather vest.

“Are you doing any activities?” Riku asked. He didn’t recall hearing Lea being a part of the Fair, besides helping set up and other menial tasks. In the past year he’d been in the city guard while honing his skills as a Keyblade wielder.

Instead of Lea, Naminé responded. “Lea’s been a big help so far, but he won’t be in the tourney until the last stage.” She tucked a yellow lock of hair behind her ear. “It’s a surprise… though I don’t think anyone will actually be surprised.”

Lea threw his hands up. “Come on, Naminé, don’t give me away!” He cried out. “I’m supposed to be the grand finale… assuming Sir Riku even makes it that far!”

Naminé folded her hands and gave Riku one of her patented gentle yet slightly unnerving smiles. “Of course he will,” she said. “He has honor and true love on his side. How could he lose?”

Heat flared up in Riku’s face and he gave her a nudge. “We’ll see,” he said, hoping his face hadn’t turned too red. “I have to go. The next round is at noon and I want to get some stretching in before it starts.”

Their conversation continued after he left.

——

“Hey, Riku!” Ventus greeted him the moment he walked into his tent.

In so many ways, Ventus reminded him of Sora. It still didn’t surprise Riku, all these years later, that Ventus had decided to take refuge in Sora’s heart. It must have felt like coming home. As someone who had been inside Sora’s heart, Riku understood how safe it must have felt.

“Morning, Ven,” Riku said. “I figured I’d get some stretching in before this round.”

Ventus stood by the mannequin that had Riku’s tunic and shield on it. When he said nothing Riku continued.

“Considering I can’t use a Keyblade or magic, I’m going to have to rely on my own skills,” he said. “And I don’t want to fall flat on my face in front of the whole crowd. Wouldn’t be very knightly would it?”

That seemed to shake Ventus and he held out of his hands. “There’s no way! You’ll do great,” he said. “Look, they left instructions for the next round here.” He gestured at a scroll on the little table. Riku walked forward and picked it up. On it was a real wax seal, with the crest of Radiant Garden stamped into it, though slightly more stylised than it usually was, in order to fit in with the atmosphere and theme of the Fair.

Riku pulled the seal open and unrolled the scroll.

**_Sir Riku,_ **

**_Today a day of physical finesse_ **

**_A day which you must do your best_ **

**_Such as in life, obstacles you will meet_ **

**_And all knights must be strong as well as light on their feet_ **

**_This round you will not have to struggle by yourself_ **

**_So pick an honorable friend to help do your best_ **

**_To squire for a knight is an honor most great_ **

**_They will take up your banner and at the end they will wait_ **

**_The last twelve knights to finish will move on to the next round_ **

**_At the beginning, the name of your squire must be sound_ **

Ventus read along with him over Riku’s elbow and when Riku finished, looked up at him with a furrowed brow. “Yourself and best don’t even rhyme,” he said, sounding genuinely disappointed.

Riku just burst into laughter. “That’s okay, I think I get the gist of it,” he said. “I guess someone will have to wait at the end of the obstacle course and hold my banner there.”

Even if Riku hadn’t already decided once he’d figured out what the instructions meant who could take up such a job, the look on Ventus’ face would definitely have convinced him. His blue eyes were so wide with wishful anticipation Riku was endeared.

“Will you be my squire, Ven?” Riku asked, bowing his head lightly.

Ventus threw a fist in the air. “It would be my honor, Sir Riku!”

Riku patted him on the shoulder. “Thanks, I know if you’re waiting at the end of the track I’ll be okay,” he said. Ventus looked so honored by the compliment he looked as if he would burst.

“Oh, there was something else on the table,” Ventus said and walked over to it. On the table, next to where the scroll lay was a folded square of white fabric. Riku joined him and looked down at it. “I don’t think the comity left this here, just the scroll. I wonder who did…”

Riku picked the folded fabric up and turned it over in his hand. It seemed like a regular handkerchief, so perhaps the person who had brought the scroll had set it down for a moment and then forgot to pick it up again. Still, curious as he was, Riku opened the folded fabric and his eyes widened at the sight of the embroidery on the inside.

A stylised R, surrounded by little flowers and above it, two swords crossed over each other. On top of the swords was a little crown, a familiar shape that he had seen on the same person for years and that he’d recognise anywhere.

“Oh wow, that’s really pretty,” Ventus said. “Although, the stitching’s a little crooked. I think someone left you a favor, Riku.”

Riku touched the embroidery with gentle fingers and smiled. He couldn’t know for sure, but something inside him knew who had left this here for him, especially after what had happened the day before. He had hated the downcast look on Sora’s face when he turned the offer of wearing his crown necklace down, but as usual, Sora had bounced back quick enough. They way they talked, it was as if the awkward air between them had cleared enough that they were Sora and Riku again. Not Sora and his poor, broke hearted best friend. It had been freeing and it had taken all his fear away.

The idea that Sora had made the effort in just one night to get him something he could take into ‘battle’ with him, so that he would be protected filled his heart with something it hadn’t been filled with for a while. The idea that Sora saw him once again as someone to admire made him feel stronger than any amount of actual power could do.

“Yeah, I guess so,” Riku said. “What should I do with it?”

He turned to Ventus and held the handkerchief out. As his squire, Ventus was sure to have a good idea where to put it.

“Well, let’s see,” Ventus said, studying the favor in Riku’s hand. “Why don’t you go do your stretches and I’ll think of something.” He took the favor from Riku and kept studying it. Riku smiled and nodded.

“Thanks, Ven,” Riku said, turning to leave the tent so he could stretch outside where he had more room. With one hand, he opened the flap of the tent.

Outside, the tourney grounds were starting to fill up with people again. In the distance, Riku heard music playing and he could even smell the food being made. It dawned on him that he hadn’t taken the time to make any rounds to try any of the food or see any of the other activities. Even though he had been planning to skip out on all of it before the tourney happened, now Riku looked forward to see the rest of the Fair.

Maybe some of the others would go with him if he asked.

After stretching for a good while, Riku went back inside where Ventus helped him diligently into his tunic. Once everything was on and all the straps tightened and fastened, Ventus walked back over to the table and picked up the favor.

“You’re supposed to be given these during the tourney really,” Ventus explained as he reached up to tie the handkerchief around the strap of Riku’s tunic on his left side. “During the joust, a knight would ride alongside the crowd and anyone who wanted to present a favor would stand and offer it. Ribbons usually, because favors were usually given by ladies, but handkerchiefs or lockets sometimes too.” He tied it neatly in a bow and the white contrasted nicely with the bright colors of his tunic.

Ventus stepped back to admire the way it looked. “Whoever gave this to you must want to keep it a secret,” he said, sounding in awe of the prospect that Riku had a secret admirer. Riku wanted to tell him it wasn’t like that but he hated the idea of wiping that look of Ventus’ face. “And they must care about you very much.”

Now he definitely couldn’t have told Ventus the truth, when he looked so happy so Riku said nothing just smiled at his friend.

Ventus walked over and picked up Riku’s banner, holding it up proudly.

“Let’s go, Sir Riku!”

Riku held the flap of the tent open so Ventus could leave first. Chivalry, he thought, that was a part of being a knight too.

“And may the best man win,” Riku said to the empty tent before he left.

——

“Hear ye, hear ye!” The announcer called out. “The next round of the tourney will begin shortly!”

In the stands, the group of Keyblade wielders was nearly complete.

“I hope Terra feels better,” Kairi said to Aqua, who smiled at her.

“He’ll be fine,” Aqua said. “He had a bad night and crowds still overwhelm him a little. I’m sure he’ll be out here tomorrow to cheer Riku on. He feels very responsible for him.”

Kairi nodded. “I feel like at this point, we all feel a little responsible for him,” she said. “He’s so used to doing every thing by himself, but it’s so clear it doesn’t make him happy.” The noise that surrounded them made it easy for them to have the conversation without anyone listening in.

Sora sat a row ahead of them and down the way, sandwiched between Roxas and Xion who were pointing at all of the little details of the obstacle course. From where he sat, Kairi was sure he wouldn’t be able to hear what she said so she leaned over to Aqua.

“I can’t get a read on Sora when it comes to Riku,” she said and Aqua nodded. “If he didn’t feel the same way, he would have turned him down already, but he seems so conflicted. Like he’s never considered that it was even a possibility. Maybe because they’ve known each other forever.”

Aqua looked at Kairi. “He considered you a possibility at some point,” she said.

Kairi shook her head. “Maybe for a little while,” she said. “But I think that crush only lived as long as it did because everyone else expected us to get together. In the end, we weren’t compatible like that. He’s my greatest friend, but he didn’t love me like that, whether he understood it or not. And I moved on. It feels good to be friends, it feels better than it ever did when I thought we were magically meant to be together.”

Aqua smiled at her and gave her a pat on the hand. “You’re a very good friend, Kairi,” she said. “And a strong young woman. Some day you’ll meet someone who will be a match for you.”

Just as Kairi began to laugh in response, the crowd began to cheer and shout. At the beginning of the obstacle course, the fifteen knights still left in the tourney walked out to their starting points. The group all raised their purple and gold flags and cheered Riku’s name when he became visible. Out of the corner of her eye she spotted Aerith and Tifa waving their own purple and gold flags and waved at them when they caught sight of her.

“He looks so handsome!” Aerith shouted, one hand pressed to her chest comically, sounding like a proud older sister.

“Most handsome dork who ever lived!” Kairi shouted back before turning back towards the obstacle course. It didn’t look like quite the challenge for a Keyblade Master, but then again, this Keyblade didn’t have a Keyblade or the use of magic at his disposal now to get him through it. Riku had always been good at everything, but Kairi wondered if years of relying on magic and supernatural power had maybe left him a bit ‘flabby’.

_Good people of the Radiant Garden, hear me!_

_For today there will be some thing to see_

_Fifteen brave knights will tumble their way across this place_

_To prove their strength for the danger they must face_

_But alone, even the bravest of knights cannot hope to be_

_So they have chosen a squire to guide them most loyally_

_Hear these knights as they proclaim who will guide them_

_And twelve of them will find out to where destiny will send_

“That’s not…” Lea said, pointing at the announcer with a confused look. “That doesn’t even make sense.”

Naminé seemed to pick up on Lea’s confusion, even in the crowd and just shrugged at them.

“Who cares, look it’s Ven!” Kairi shouted, and pointed at the other end of the obstacle course, where Ventus stood with Riku’s banner, waving enthusiastically at all of them. When it was Riku’s turn and he called out Ventus’ name as his brave squire, they all cheered loudly for him.

There were three sharp blasts from the horns, the same kind as the day before, and the knights were off. The obstacle course started easily, running and jumping through hoops, jumping over walls and over little bridges that crossed water.

But as the obstacle course carried on, the obstacles became more difficult. As they did the first knights began to fall and trip, or struggle.

Riku seemed to be doing well enough, up with a handful of knights in the lead. One of the knights made a particularly hard fall trying to swing over a little piece of water from a rope and landed hard on the other end. The crowd cheered loudly when he did get up and carry on, but judging from his slight limp, he wouldn’t be making it to the end on time to get to the next round.

For some reason, Riku did not seem to be at the front anymore, as he hoisted himself up a large wall from a thick rope.

The fact that all the knights wore different colors made it easy to keep track of them, but when Kairi let her gaze drop back to her friends for a minute she noticed that Sora seemed transfixed on Riku. He even had his hands folded together as if willing his best friend to move forward quicker.

“Come on, Riku!” Kairi shouted.

——

Of all the days for his wrist to flare up, today was not a great day.

Riku could have expected it, but he had only felt a minor twinge when he had been stretching. But after swinging from a rope across the water, something in his wrist snapped and the muscles burned and ached already.

Looking up ahead of him, it was obvious there was a few more obstacles that would require both hands. So, determined as he could be he kept running, jumping over barrels and rolling through hoops.

There was a stretch of grass with different sized stones that Riku was glad of, because it didn’t require the use of his hands so he hopped over them easily, though he was breathing heavily at that point. There were five knights in front of him so he could still easily make it to the finish line and make it to the next round.

He had to make it to the next round, or his friends will have gone through all the effort they had for nothing, Ventus would be so disappointed too. He wouldn’t be unkind about it, Riku doubted he had an unkind bone in his body, darkness having been ripped from him or not, but he would still be disappointed. Sora would have made that favor for him for nothing.

Riku felt a renewal of energy and dashed at a wall with a zigzagging ladder, and ignored the burn in his wrist as he climbed up, passing one of the knights on his way. Even without a Keyblade and magic, if there was one thing Riku really and truly hated, it was losing.

And with so much riding on it, losing had now gained an extra level of disdain from Riku.

At the top of the wall a long platform stood, as large rubber balls from ropes swung back and forth. The knights in front of him manoeuvred their way through them and Riku winced when one of them was knocked off. In between the last part of the obstacle course, Riku saw Ventus, holding his banner and shouting at Riku, cheering him on.

“Okay, let’s do this,” Riku said, squaring his shoulders and rushing forward. He dodged one of the balls easily, gracefully angling his body so he moved forward but also narrowly escaping it from hitting him. As he moved, the crowd cheered loudly as one of the knights made it to the finish line. He may not have been first, but he wasn’t going to lose.

The whooshing sound of the balls was so loud when he walked in between them, that combined with the cheers and shouting of the people and the squires, it was like running at full speed through a tunnel but he still had to concentrate.

Halfway through, Riku managed to just miss getting hit and moved his body so the next ball flew right in front of him. But just as he did, one of the other knights blew past him and made him turn again. At the angle, the ball came swinging down and hit him on the side, and when he brought his arm up to shield his face, he not only went flying off the platform, it felt like he’d been struck by lightening.

He didn’t notice he was on the ground, until he looked up to see the platform above him and another knight making their way through the last obstacle.

The pain in his wrist throbbed through his whole arm and for just a second, he thought about giving in. It was high time he stopped being such a sore loser anyway.

Something tickled him in his face and he blew at it to get it away, until he realised what it was.

Sora’s favor, the neat little knot Ventus had tied onto his tunic. Little bits of the swords and the R peeked out from the folds of the handkerchief. Riku went through a series of thoughts very quickly. Had Sora embroidered it himself? Had he gone to someone for help? If he had gone to someone for help, what did he say? That it was for Riku?

_He’s got honor and the power of true on his side_ , Lea’s voice teased him again.

He could save the learning not to be a sore loser for another day.

Riku shoved himself up off the ground and vaulted up one of the ladders on the side of the platform, one of the balls missing him by just a hair. He curled his hurt wrist up to his chest and grabbed the favor like a lifeline, dodging the last of the balls like he was running for his life.

When he crossed the finish line, the crowd cheered again and Riku ran straight towards Ventus, who was almost jumping up and down, banner still in hand.

“You did it, you did it, Riku!” He said and Riku hung his head, grinning and desperately trying to catch his breath.

He turned and gave a small wave towards the crowd before patting Ventus on the shoulder and leading him off the platform.

“… and our twelfth victor, Sir Dan!” The announcer called out and Riku turned to the last of the knights to come in that would go on to the next round.

“Saw you go flying!” Dan said, his mousy blonde hair matted to his face with sweat.

Riku nodded. “Yeah, got distracted,” he admitted. “Got a bum wrist.” He held the wrist up to demonstrate. Dan nodded in sympathy.

“I’ve got a trick knee,” Dan said. “But a girlfriend who practically lives in adventure books, so I thought it’d be a pretty good proposal to win the tourney for her.”

“Wow!” Ventus said. “That would make a great story.”

“She sure seems to think so,” Dan said. “I’m Dan, by the way.”

Ventus waved the banner in one hand and reached across to offer his other. “I’m Ventus, nice to meet you.”

Dan reached over to shake it and grinned.

“Riku,” Riku said, holding out his good hand. “I’d shake with the other one, but I might actually cry like a child if anyone touches it.”

Dan shakes his hand, laughs and pats him on the shoulder. “Don’t worry about it,” he said. “You got a sweetheart up there rooting for you? Someone must have given you that.” He pointed at the handkerchief knotted around Riku’s tunic. Riku looked down at it.

“Ah, no,” he replied. “I found it in my tent, someone made it for me but I’m not sure who.” He knew exactly who, but he didn’t want to say it out loud until he knew for sure.

They stepped out onto the tourney grounds as the sound people making noise as they left the tourney grounds.

“I’m going to go find my girl,” Dan said and gave Riku a nudge. “Put some ice on that wrist. And I’ll see you tomorrow!” Riku was always surprised by people who could make friends so easily, but Dan seemed to be one of those people. Riku felt at ease and even waved as the other man walked off in search of his girlfriend. So far, Riku had barely made any acquaintance with the other knights but now it felt different.

“Dan’s right,” Ventus said, looking worried. “You should get some rest and put some ice on your wrist if it hurts that much.”

Riku nodded and moved to sit down on a nearby bench when their group of friends came careening around the corner, shouting his and Ventus’ name.

“Did you see that!” Lea shouted. “He swerves, he ducks, he runs, he flies and boom! Down he goes!” He holds out his arms to the side. “But no! He gets back up! He’s back in the game, he’s a winner!”

Everyone laughs, including Riku, who let go of the favor to grab onto his tunic.

Out of the corner of his eye, he can see Sora staring at the handkerchief and Roxas staring at his hand.

“I just really hate losing,” Riku said and plopped down on the bench. Everyone laughed again.

“We should go and get some food and drinks and listen to some music,” Aqua said. There were nods all around. “Riku, it’s my treat, for such a splendid display of courage and fortitude.” She winked at him.

Riku waved a hand at her and shook his head. “I won’t say not to free food and drinks, though.” He looked around. “Gimme a minute, okay? I need to catch my breath.”

As they walked away, Riku gestured at Ventus to follow them. Only Sora and Roxas remained, neither for reasons Riku could imagine.

“You ah,” Sora said. “You found it.” He gestured at the favor tied around Riku’s tunic. It was dirty from his fall onto the ground. He would be sure to wash it before bed that night, so it would be clean the next morning. Maybe Naminé could help him with one of her cleaning spells.

Riku looked up at him. Roxas was looking the other way.

“I did,” Riku said. “Did you make it?”

Sora grinned. “Kind of,” he said. “Tifa and Aerith helped. A lot.” He stepped even closer and the same energy that had surrounded them in the Chocobo stables the day before fell over them, a comfortable, warm energy that felt like how it used to feel when it was the two of them.

“I’m so glad it worked,” Sora said and laid his hand on Riku’s back. It didn’t heal his wrist suddenly, but for a moment he felt no pain. The warmth of Sora’s palm on his back, after being distant from each other for what felt like years even though it hadn’t been, had such a healing effect on him Riku felt like he might run the obstacle course again, no problem.

Riku nodded. “It sure did,” he said. “I told you you’d think of something. You always do.”

A bashful look fell over Sora’s face and he stepped away from Riku. “Thanks, Riku.” He looked around to see their group was already far away enough that they could barely be seen. “We should catch up, come on!” He followed them at a slow jog, fulling expecting Riku and Roxas to follow.

Riku pulled himself up and began to walk. Roxas fell into step beside him.

“I’m sorry,” Roxas said, a few minutes after they started to walk.

“Sorry?” Riku replied, not understanding why Roxas was apologising.

Roxas made it clear when he pointed at his wrist. Riku looked down at it and then looked back up at Roxas.

“Roxas, there’s nothing for you to be sorry for,” Riku said. “I was… I deserved it.”

There was another moment of quiet. For all that Roxas had once been a part of Sora and was like him in so many ways, there was a quietness about Roxas, a serenity that balanced out the frenetic, happy energy Sora possessed. Riku knew Sora had his own quiet, introspective inner self, but it always faded to gray under layers and layers of extroverted energy. Roxas was far more apparent in his own.

“You didn’t,” Roxas said, even though he didn’t look at Riku. “I didn’t deserve what happened back then, but neither did you.” He pointed at the wrist. “You should ask Isa when you get back to the castle. His Curagas are pretty legendary by now. It won’t fix your wrist, but it’ll feel better than I bet it does now.”

Riku looked at Roxas and then smiled. “Thanks,” he said, unable to think of what else he should say.

Roxas shrugged. “No problem,” he said, casually as if they were speaking of the weather. “You’re a winner, remember? Free food and drinks.”

Riku grinned and picked up the pace. “You’re right.”

——

“You did not drag us out here this late at night just to show off, did you?” Roxas asked. Xion laughed behind him and gave Lea a poke.

“He only ever takes us anywhere so he can show off!” She said.

Lea flapped his hands and opened the door to the warehouse. Most of the city had emptied, the lights in the windows casting a golden glow over the dark streets. Lea led them inside and held out his hand.

Both Roxas and Xion said nothing.

“Are you kidding?” Roxas said and Xion burst into laughter again. “Is this why you’ve been calling yourself a fiery dreadlord?”

“Well, I’m not a fiery dreadlord yet, but two days from now,” Lea said, leaning up against a metal pipe. “Radiant Garden will never look at me the same again.”

“Maybe that’s a good thing,” Roxas said.

“I think it looks great, Lea,” Xion said and Lea bowed his head. “Although I can’t really get used to the idea of calling you ‘a fiery dreadlord’… but I’ve still got two days.”

Lea knocked on the metal with his knuckles. “Ienzo even had a look at it,” he said. “Said it was mechanical success.”

“Which is Ienzo’s way of saying it will probably stay upright,” Roxas said, walking underneath the metal structure and looking at it as best as he could in the dark warehouse. “But seriously… it looks awesome. I take it you’ve got a flashy costume to go with it.”

Lea shrugged. “What do you think? Couldn’t let Naminé show me up, could I?”

All three of them laughed.

“Come on, it’s late,” Lea said. “Time for bed. Tomorrow’s the jousting and Kairi’s dancing troupe is giving a performance.”

Xion giggled. “She’s been complaining about that all week,” she said. “Apparently she’s barely had any time to practice.”

As Lea slid the door shut to put his newly revealed secret back into darkness, a shadow slipped along the metal legs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am thoroughly enjoying writing Ventus as some of you may have noticed. Writing ensemble fics can be really hard, because there's the picking and choosing who gets a certain amount of screen time. I hope I managed to find enough balance in it. 
> 
> Sora is in that magical halfway point of 'am I or am I not (in love with my best friend)' so stay tuned how that turns out. In the meantime, Riku will continue to hate losing and persevering despite having a bad wrist. That favor is definitely going to protect him from all manner of bad things, even his own self-confidence. 
> 
> Next chapter will feature more of Buttercup the Chocobo and jousting!
> 
> Hope you enjoyed as always and stay well in these troubled times~

**Author's Note:**

> I decided to write this because of Witcher 3: Blood and Wine and talk on the tl about Ventus thinking of Riku as a knight from the Age of Fairytales, which he obviously may or may not remember. 
> 
> Also, Riku just sorta screams the chivalric love kind of character. 
> 
> I very much hope you enjoyed this and I look forward to sharing the next seven chapters with you, each one telling a story of a chivalric virtue which Riku will obviously try very hard to embody. 
> 
> Thank you for reading!


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